Cup and saucer, China, c. 1800
Here you see a cup and saucer made in China in around 1800. These artefacts probably came to Sweden and Norrköping through the Swedish East India Company, a trading company based in Gothenburg that was active between 1731 and 1813.
The company traded with East Asia, mainly China, and imports included tea, silk and porcelain in exchange for metals such as iron and copper.
Trade was important, both economically and culturally. Chinese porcelain was an expensive import until the mid-18th century, but it became more common in the second half of the century. Both simple blue and white porcelain and more unusual items with multi-coloured decoration or commissioned motifs were available in the 18th century. Chinese porcelain became less common around 1800, and imports were largely replaced by English flintware. Nowadays, shards of Chinese porcelain are often found during urban archaeological surveys.
This cup and saucer were made during the reign of the Qianlong (1736–1795) or Jiaqing (1796–1820) emperors. The porcelain has a floral decoration, known as Fitzhugh decoration in underglaze blue.
)Object number: 1374146_HST
<
3 of 9
>