Meissen: Bottle Cooler, 18th Century

MEISSEN: Hard-paste porcelain, hand-painted polychrome decoration with gilt highlights, circa 1780. A wonderful cylindrical cooler with straight sides, featuring two side handles ending in shells highlighted in pink and gilt. The polychrome decoration, finely executed, depicts bouquets of various flowers (roses, anemones, pansies, carnations, forget-me-nots, etc.) arranged on the body. A thin gilt line highlights the upper rim. White glazed interior. Decoration: Naturalistic floral ornament characteristic of the 18th century, with vivid hues and subtle modeling. Gilt highlights on the rim and on the shell-shaped handles. Mark: Underglaze blue painted mark, depicting two crossed swords, the mark of the Meissen factory (Saxony, Germany). Dimensions: Height: 16.5 cm Diameter: 18 cm Total width (including handles): 24 cm Condition: Very good overall condition Use: Bottle cooler, used to keep wine bottles chilled with ice. Notes: This type of piece exemplifies the refinement of 18th-century German porcelain, both in the quality of its naturalistic floral decoration and in the mastery of the modeling and gilding. Its condition and rich decoration make it a fine example of European aristocratic tableware.