About this artwork
This delicate fruit basket is a rare example of early American porcelain, one of only 20 known surviving works by Gousse Bonnin and George Anthony Morris’s American China Manufactory. Porcelain, a kind of ceramic, originated in China, where its formula was a heavily guarded secret; it eventually emerged as a prized material in global luxury goods because of its luminosity and strength. American manufacturers were slow to develop porcelain wares because of the hazards of the materials and equipment, a lack of skilled craftspeople, and foreign price competition. Even though the American China Manufactory was short-lived, this basket represents the early advancements of this industry in the American colonies.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 168
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Department
- Arts of the Americas
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Artist
- American China Manufactory (Producer)
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Title
- Fruit Basket
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Places
- Philadelphia (Object made in), United States (Object made in)
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Date
- c. 1770-1772
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Medium
- Soft-paste porcelain, underglaze blue decoration
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Inscriptions
- Marked on bottom, in underglaze blue: Z or S (inverted)
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Dimensions
- 5.1 × 14.7 × 14.7 cm (2 × 5 3/4 × 5 3/4 in.)
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Credit Line
- Vance American Art Fund; Americana, Jane and Morris Weeden, and Roger and J. Peter McCormick endowment funds
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Reference Number
- 2022.588
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/266210/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
