1985.R.928.a-b, Coffeepot, porcelain, Jingdezhen, China, c. 1790

The bulbous body, domed lid, and strapwork handle seen here are characteristic of late 18th-century Chinese export coffeepots. The handle of intertwined strips of clay terminating in modeled sprigs of flowers was copied from pottery made in Staffordshire, England, in the 1770s and 1780s. Similarly, the linear and near monochromatic quality of the painting is derived from English transfer-printed decoration. In the early 1750s, English potters invented an ornamental process using an engraved metal plate. Once "inked" with ceramic glaze, the design was printed onto tissue paper. The paper was then affixed to the damp clay, and the printed decoration was transferred onto the vessel by burnishing. In this manner, entire sets of dinnerware could be ornamented with identical designs, thereby reducing labor costs and making ceramics more affordable. Chinese potters did not use this new process. Nevertheless, they ornamented huge services in this graphic style, painting every line by hand. 

This pot features a beautifully painted but unidentified coat of arms. It incorporates a baron's coronet and the motto LE BON TEMPS VIENDRA (Good Times Will Come). 

Dallas Museum of Art, Decorative Arts Highlights from the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art, 1995), 115.

Until 1985: Emery Reves (1904-1983) and Wendy Reves (1916-2007) (owned jointly), La Pausa, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France [1]

From 1985: Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection, gift of Wendy Reves (1916-2007) [1]

[1] According to: Olivier Meslay and Martha MacLeod, From Chanel to Reves (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art, 2015), 4-5.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read more about Chinese Export Porcelain

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