Object details
Accession number
C33n61.a-b
Primary Creator
Minton Ceramics Manufactory
( Stoke-upon-Trent, established 1796)
Full title
Cup and Saucer: Isabella
Creation Date
1884
Provenance
Entered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection at an unknown date.
Marks
Inscribed on cup and saucer (on side): "Isabella"
Marked on cup and saucer (on base): manufacturer's mark of Mintons [crowned globe with ribbon border], inscribed: "JOHN MORTLOCK/ OXFORD ST, ORCHARD ST/ LONDON/ 1884...MINTONS"
Dimensions
5.5 x 5.3 cm (2 3/16 x 2 1/16 in.)
Display Media
Porcelain
Dimension Notes
Cup (C33n61.a): 5.5 x 5.25 cm (2 3/16 x 2 1/16 in.)
Saucer (C33n61.b): 2.25 x 11.5 cm (7/8 x 4 1/2 in.)
Web Commentary
Created in 1884 in England, this cup and saucer were manufactured and sold by two prominent ceramics companies, both of which are marked on the underside of the cup. They were made by the Mintons Ceramic Manufactury; founded in Staffordshire, England, Mintons was an independent business from 1793-1968 and a leader in ceramic design. The cup and saucer are made from bone china, a type of porcelain composed of bone ash, feldspathic material, and kaolin, known for both its strength and delicate appearance. Attempting to create Chinese hard-paste porcelain, English potters in the mid-eighteenth century instead created bone china, which quickly became a popular alternative. Although created by the Mintons Ceramic Manufactory, the cup and saucer were sold by John Mortlock, one of the most important china retailers in England in the early nineteenth century.
Permanent Gallery Location
Vatichino
Rights and reproductions
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