Lidded Pot

This small porcelain pot, which once had a handle and spout, would have been used for serving tea or wine in China. When it was imported into France in the mid-1700s, a Parisian merchant called a marchand-mercier removed the handle and spout, adapting the piece from a useful ware into a purely decorative object. He directed a specialized craftsman to make the gilt-bronze base and lid and to cast handles formed of leafy scrolls to cover the holes.So great was the European passion for Chinese porcelain that traders exported enormous quantities of porcelain objects in the 1700s to satisfy increasing demand. The volume of trade was enormous; in 1752, for instance, one ship headed for Europe sank with 223,303 pieces of porcelain on board.