Antique 18th Century German Porcelain Parrot Tulip Tureens or Small Trinket Boxes - a Pair

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Pair antique 18th century German porcelain small tureens or trinket boxes in the form of parrot tulips. Measure 3" x … Read more Pair antique 18th century German porcelain small tureens or trinket boxes in the form of parrot tulips. Measure 3" x 4" x 2 1/2". Good condition - one bowl with manufacturing line at the base.

These tulip-form small tureens or covered dishes must have appeared a wonderful bit of nature, as if fallen from a bouquet, on a dining table. Porcelain started to take the place of sugar sculptures on the most elegant tables of Europe in the eighteenth century. It came at a time when nature was being observed in minute detail and porcelain was bringing color to table décor. Real flowers were not combined with food presentation but their porcelain proxies were often very naturalistic. Instead of giving off floral aromas, the floral table decorations that held food or sauce, such as this small tureen, gave off the aromas of the cuisine.

A similar example is in the collections of the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York City and may be viewed online. See less