Sweetmeat Dish
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Object Label
American China Manufactory objects are the oldest American-made porcelain, and extremely rare. Because England viewed the colonies as a market for its exports, it discouraged manufacturing. In the 1760s, however, when Americans were boycotting English luxury goods, Gouse Bonnin and George Anthony Morris, founders of the American China Manufactory, were among the first colonists to establish a porcelain factory. Although they succeeded in producing close imitations of English wares, Bonnin and Morris closed their factory after only two years, owing to the resumption of trade with England in 1770 and the difficulties inherent in the startup of a new enterprise.
Caption
Gousse Bonnin; George Anthony Morris; American China Manufactory. Sweetmeat Dish, 1770–1772. Soft-paste porcelain, underglaze, 5 1/4 x 7 1/4 x 7 1/4 in. (13.3 x 18.4 x 18.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund, 45.174. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 45.174_reference_SL1.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Title
Sweetmeat Dish
Date
1770–1772
Geography
Place made: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain, underglaze
Classification
Dimensions
5 1/4 x 7 1/4 x 7 1/4 in. (13.3 x 18.4 x 18.4 cm)
Markings
Marked on base: "P" in under glaze blue
Credit Line
Museum Collection Fund
Accession Number
45.174
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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Frequent Art Questions
Do you know approximately how many other sweetmeat dishes there are remaining by American China Manufactory? It is crazy the company was only around for two years!
Porcelain created by American China Manufactory is extremely rare; less than two dozen pieces are known to exist! Around five of these are tiered sweetmeat dishes like this (sometimes called pickle dishes) and a few others are more simple, single pickle dishes. The American China Manufactory filled a gap in the market during a period when colonial American audiences could not acquire Chinese porcelain due to trade regulations. Once trade resumed, audiences vastly preferred the imported Chinese porcelains.It's wonderful that we have examples of their work left!I've just read Chernow's Hamilton biography and in it, he covers the fact that many imports still came in from Europe - even porcelain. They highlight the fact that the ordering of porcelain took many weeks longer to arrive in the United States than other cargo from Europe. I'm wondering if it's because the English ordered from China and controlled supplies to America?
That's absolutely true. America was incredibly reliant on Britain for manufactured goods, and throughout the 18th and 19th century they were our biggest trading partner. Prior to the revolution, Chinese imports to America were mediated by British traders. But also, England was a major manufacturer of ceramics themselves. If you are on the fifth floor, we have some really early and rare examples of American porcelain dating to the colonial period! Only a few pieces of these exist in the world. Unfortunately, fledgling American companies struggled to compete with the influx of English and Chinese ceramics.
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