Name/Title
Porcelain Cabinet of CuriositiesContext
The newest items in the Neill-Cochran House Museum Collection are an assortment of German-made china pieces from the mid-1800s. These include a tea service, figurines, and a display cabinet, all beautifully detailed, painted, and gilded.
The tea service items feature a mark of crossed swords that identify them as Meissen china, a Saxon porcelain manufactory established in 1710 that was the first European brand to rival the finer wares coming from China. The display cabinet does not feature the Meissen crossed swords, but it may be a Meissen china piece as well.
Gifts to the NCHM Collection must go through the accession process, which involves assigning the item an accession number; measuring, photographing, and documenting the item; and then placing the item on display in the house or putting it in archival storage for future display.
The cabinet looks quite lovely on top of the étagère display case in the French Parlor (recently featured on Artifact Friday!).
These items were given to the Museum by Rebecca and Ted McDonald and were previously owned by Ted's mother, Louise Hill McDonald. You can see them on display, Wed-Sun, 11am-4pm.
Source: Berling, Meissen China: An Illustrated HistoryAcquisition
Accession
2023.01Source or Donor
Robert E. and Millicent Louise McDonaldAcquisition Method
Gift