Lidded cup and saucer

Meissen, Germany, ca. 1780

Glazed and painted porcelain.

H: 10 cm

Markings: swords with a star and “4” in blue, “12” in black, “N” in gold

UMP 7475

The lidded cup and saucer present scenes from mythology. An oval medallion shows the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, teaching her son Eros. His quiver and arrows lie next to them on a rock; mountainous are in the background. On the lid, a lidded krater festooned with flowers floats in the clouds. A sculpted bronzed laurel wreath forms the handle on the lid. Two antique goddesses with a basket of flowers are presented in a circular medallion on the well of the saucer; they are framed by a gilt, engraved garland wreath against a cobalt blue ground (bleu royale). Meissen, “Marcolini-Zeit” period, probably painted by Johann George Loehnig, ca. 1777–1780.