The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Art Object

The Usefulness of Magnificence: Silver and the English Court

Ellenor M. Alcorn, Associate Curator, Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, discusses how in England, as in Europe, a rich display of silver was essential to the expression of power. Discover how English sovereigns from Elizabeth I to George III and their courtiers competed culturally on the international stage, commissioning silver and other luxury goods to establish their stature. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition British Silver: The Wealth of a Nation, on view May 15, 2012–January 20, 2013.

Recorded October 12, 2012

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Coffeepot

Vienna

Factory director:: Du Paquier period (1718–1744)
Decorator:: Decorated by the Hausmaler Ignaz Bottengruber (active ca. 1720–ca. 1730, Breslau, ca. 1728–30)
Date:: ca. 1725
Culture:: Austrian (Vienna) and German (Breslau)
Medium:: Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions:: H. 7 11/16 in. (19.5 cm.)
Classification:: Ceramics
Credit Line:: The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973
Accession Number:: 1974.356.485a, b

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The Usefulness of Magnificence: Silver and the English Court

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Coffeepot

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