London silversmiths catered to the fashion-conscious elite and played a key role as leading tastemakers. Their work strongly influenced English potters, who copied the latest silver designs, as demonstrated by two mugs shown here whose shapes are nearly identical. The plants and figures flat-chased into the silver mug are oriented vertically in a conventional European layout, while the Chinese Figure pattern on the ceramic mug features diagonal lines that wind around its body, a composition more true to Asian aesthetics.
Mug, 1680-1700
London, England
Tin-glazed earthenware
Lent by a private collection
Mug, 1686
Marked "HT"
London, England
Silver with flat-chased decoration
Lent by a private collection