Cup

The cup and saucer illustrate the lasting fondness of European porcelain works for the art of the Far East. The pseudo-oriental motifs, known under the blanket term of chinoiserie, painted in polychrome on a white porcelain ground, were particularly popular in the 18th century. At the end of the century chinoiserie painted in relief gilding on a red or black glazed ground of a porcelain vessel appeared. Such decorations are an imitation of work from the Far East – decorations on black or red lacquered wooden supports. The combination of the luxuriant decoration with the simple classicist form of the cup and saucer has considerable interest. The objects were bought for the museum 1906 from the collection of Zagreb connoisseur Jakob Frank.