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Tankard

(German, 1696–1775)
about 1723-24
Object PlaceGermany
Medium/TechniquePorcelain, underglaze blue, overglaze enamels, gilding, silver-gilt mounts
Dimensions19.9 cm (7 13/16 in.)
Credit LineGift of Dudley Leavitt Pickman
Accession number34.1352
On View
On view
ClassificationsCeramics
Collections
Description
For painters, tankards are an ideal shape, since their surfaces are flat and continuous. The painting here is in the style developed at Meissen under J.G. Horoldt, who became the factory's manager in 1719. Horoldt expanded the range of enamel colors available to painters and promoted a distinctive style of Chinoiserie decoration. This tankard shows men enjoying tricks performed by dogs, a monkey, and a fox.
ProvenanceAgnes Salm-Salm (b. 1844 - d. 1912), Karlsruhe, Germany. By 1911, Dudley Leavitt Pickman (b. 1850 - d. 1938), Boston [see note]; 1934, gift of Dudley Leavitt Pickman to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 6, 1934)

NOTE: First lent to the MFA on May 19, 1911.

marked 1550–51 with later alterations
about 1600
about 1810
probably late 19th century
1765–75
1745–50
1760–75
1710–25
about 1750
1670s–1690s