Tureen with cover (part of a service)

Unknown

early 19th century · Hard-paste porcelain · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This is one of the more striking porcelains to emerge from the American trade with China. The four quadrants of the so-called Fitzhugh pattern of leaves and flowers, rendered in brilliant green enamels, serve to contrast with and accentuate the large spread eagle clutching an olive branch and a bundle of arrows in its talons. Such porcelains often feature the shield of the United States in the center of the eagle's body, yet here the shield encloses a monogram or initials—in this case an M—that would have been painted on site in Canton per instructions given by the purchaser.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 19th century

Medium

Hard-paste porcelain

Culture

Chinese, for American market

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Helena Woolworth McCann Collection, Gift of Winfield Foundation, 1951