Cup and Saucer
maker
Minton Ceramics Manufactory
(British, established 1796)
Date1884
Place MadeLondon, Greater London, England, Europe
MediumPorcelain
Dimensions5.5 x 5.3 cm (2 3/16 x 2 1/16 in.)
ClassificationsVessels
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberC33n61.a-b
eMuseum ID724134
EmbARK ObjectID16938
Previous NumberXC10.a-b
Previous NumberC33n22.a-b
TMS Source ID5263
Last Updated8/9/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryCreated in 1884 in England, this cup and saucer were manufactured and sold by two prominent ceramics companies, both of which are marked on the underside of the cup. They were made by the Mintons Ceramic Manufactury; founded in Staffordshire, England, Mintons was an independent business from 1793-1968 and a leader in ceramic design. The cup and saucer are made from bone china, a type of porcelain composed of bone ash, feldspathic material, and kaolin, known for both its strength and delicate appearance. Attempting to create Chinese hard-paste porcelain, English potters in the mid-eighteenth century instead created bone china, which quickly became a popular alternative. Although created by the Mintons Ceramic Manufactory, the cup and saucer were sold by John Mortlock, one of the most important china retailers in England in the early nineteenth century.
BibliographyNotesJessica Chloros, "Conserving Isabella's Cup and Saucer," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 18 April 2020, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/conserving-isabellas-cup-saucer
Diana Seave Greenwald, "The Original Isabella Stewart," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 4 May 2021, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/original-isabella-stewart
Diana Seave Greenwald, "The Original Isabella Stewart," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 4 May 2021, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/original-isabella-stewart
MarksNotesInscribed on cup and saucer (on side): "Isabella"
Marked on cup and saucer (on base): manufacturer's mark of Mintons [crowned globe with ribbon border], inscribed: "JOHN MORTLOCK/ OXFORD ST, ORCHARD ST/ LONDON/ 1884...MINTONS"
Marked on cup and saucer (on base): manufacturer's mark of Mintons [crowned globe with ribbon border], inscribed: "JOHN MORTLOCK/ OXFORD ST, ORCHARD ST/ LONDON/ 1884...MINTONS"
ProvenanceNotesEntered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection at an unknown date.
