sugar and chocolate (right)

shelf 1 (right)

Over centuries, as demand for sugar increased, the locations where sugar cane was grown expanded, as did the number of enslaved humans forced to cultivate this labor-intensive crop. Originating in New Guinea, sugar cane was brought to India and then the Caribbean, where the Dominican Republic led production in the early 1500s. A century later, sugar cane became the base of the economy in Dutch-colonized Brazil, where more than 500,000 Africans had been shipped through the Atlantic slave trade to plant, tend, harvest, and process the crop.

 

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A lidded sugar bowl with floral decorations in gilded vignettes, surrounded by dark blue glaze, the finial on the lid is a sculptural red, white, and yellow flower.

Worcester Porcelain Company, English, 1751–present

Sugar Bowl, ca. 1770

Porcelain with underglaze blue, glaze, overglaze enamel, and gilding

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Sigmund J. Katz 57.198.9

Silver sugar tongs that are delicate and swirled.

American

Sugar Tongs, 1751

Silver

Gift of the Estate of Elizabeth T. Casey 1989.045.12.308

A white vessel with two symmetrical handles with blue decorations, heraldry imagery, two figures with light hair. One holding a staff and the other is blindfold and holding scales.

Chinese (for export)

Sugar Bowl, ca. 1800

Porcelain with underglaze blue, glaze, and overglaze enamels

Gift of William H. G. Temple 26.064

A white ceramic sugar bowl with flat handles and lid, the decorations are architectural and floral.

Chinese (for export)

Sugar Bowl, ca. 1750

Porcelain with underglaze blue and glaze

Gift of William H. Claflin 1991.179.11 

A white ceramic chocolate pot with delicate blue decorations with ribbed body, spout, handle, and foot.

German

Chocolate Pot, ca. 1780

Porcelain with underglaze blue and glaze

Gift of Mrs. Arnold B. Chace, Jr. 44.751

A white and blue chocolate pot with a spout, handle, and lid, the edges of the lid and spout are gilded. The decorations mainly depict floral, architectural, and landscape elements.

Chinese (for export)

Chocolate Pot, 1800

Porcelain with underglaze blue, glaze, and gilding

Bequest of Mrs. Hope Brown Russell 09.215

 

 

shelf 2

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