Cup

This cup may have functioned as a vessel for an alcoholic beverage or as a container for food such as candies or pastries. Ignaz Preissler’s specialty was a technique known as Schwarzlot (“black lead” in German), in which a design was painted with black enamel and then fine details were scratched out with a needle. Preissler’s clients were primarily aristocrats who commissioned vessels as gifts or commemorative items and for whom the chinoiseriedecoration (imaginary European interpretations of Asian cultures), seen here, was fashionable.