A Meissen porcelain tea bowl and saucer with vedutas and pea green ground
The cup decorated with finely painted views in two reserves, the base of the cup with a merchant shipping scene in puce camaieu. Blue crossed swords mark, dreher's mark of Johann Christoph Schumann (cup) and Johann Gottlob Pietzsch jr., brown mark C. Minor cracks to the glaze in the base of the saucer, a minor restored chip to the rim of the tea bowl. D saucer 13 cm.
C. 1740, decor attributed to Christian Friedrich Herold.
The ground colour used in this set, often referred to as pea green in specialist literature, first became established in the manufactory in 1726 following several attempts by Johann Gregorius Hoeroldt to create ground colours. It is referred to as "Olive Couleur" in manufactory records, and can be found listed several times in the first price lists of 1731, decorating tea sets, bowls and vases as gifts for the king. Despite a request by the accountant Johann David Reinhardt in the memorandum of March 1727 "[...] that he [Obermeister Stölzel] in future apply more diligence to the light brown or pea-coloured glaze and prepare entire thèe-sérvice of such a colour" (SPMM, Archive AA I Aa 10, fol. 243b, 244a), objects of this colour are rarely found today.
Provenance
Private collection, Rhineland.
Literature
Cf. Pietsch, Early Meissen Porcelain. The Wark Collection from the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, London 2011, no. 419, a tea caddy thought to be from the same service.