Cream Pot

The aristocracy of 18th-century Europe favored an opulent lifestyle enriched with decorative wares in a variety of luxurious materials, including gold, silver and porcelain.  Inspired by exoticism, the Meissen Pagod with a parrot perched on her arm is a European interpretation of a female version of the Asian god of happiness. Not simply decorative, the pagod's open mouth allowed incense aromas to escape from her hollow form. Bringing refinement to the table and, like the pagod and Boy Masquerading as a Sultan, reflecting the European fascination with foreign cultures, the Meissen Cream Pot is ornately decorated with gilded, exotic scenes including palm trees and monkeys. The gilded Sugar Box, produced in Augsburg, an 18th-century goldsmithing center, may have been part of a fashionable, elaborate traveling service.