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Unknown Maker, Chinese

Tea Canister
Now On View

Maker

Unknown Maker, Chinese

Culture

Chinese

Title

Tea Canister
from Tea and Coffee Service

Year

ca. 1780-1785

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

null, porcelain

Geography

Place Made: China

Dimensions

Height: 14 cm (5 1/2 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Harold A. Sweetland

Object Number

69.135.5

Type

Exhibition History

18th and 19th-Century American Galleries
Jun 19, 2015
Charles Pendleton House
Jan 02, 2015
Making It In America
Oct 11, 2013 – Feb 09, 2014

Label copy

This service comprises pieces of Chinese export porcelain, made specifically for the Western market. In the 17th century, European markets-followed by American markets in the 18th century-began importing large quantities of porcelain fired in the kilns of Jingdezhen, where orders for large services adorned with family crests and decorative motifs were produced.

This richly enameled and gilded service is the sort that would have been brought back by John Brown when his ship George Washington returned from China to the port of Providence on July 5, 1789. Brown was the first Rhode Islander to engage in the China trade, launching from Narragansett Bay six decades of voyages that brought prosperity to the area’s merchants and luxury goods to its residents.

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Chinese
Tea Canister; from Tea and Coffee Service, ca. 1780-1785
Porcelain
Height: 14 cm (5 1/2 inches)
Gift of Harold A. Sweetland 69.135.5

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