Collections / Explore the Collection
Today at the Museum

May 23, 2013
LECTURE

Thinking Globally: Exploring the MIA's Indian and Southeast Asian Art Collection

7 – 8 p.m.
Pillsbury Auditorium

Presenter: Risha Lee, the MIA's Jane Emison Assistant Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art. The MIA's Indian and Southeast Asian art collection contains many gems of art, produced in a variety of times and places. In an introduction to the collecti...
Teapot from a tea service for twelve
Title:Teapot from a tea service for twelve
Artist:Christophe-Ferdinand Caron
Sèvres Porcelain Factory
Date:1807-1808
Creation Place:Europe, France, Sèvres
Credit Line:The Groves Foundation Fund
Accession Number:81.101.1a,b
The Emperor Napoleon commissioned this service in 1807 and presented it to Prince William of Prussia in September, 1808. Each piece of the set, called a cabaret, is decorated with at least one scene derived from Jean de la Fontaine's (1621-95) Fables. The high quality of all the painted scenes marks this service as one of Christophe-Ferdinand Caron's greatest achievements while working as an animal painter at Sevres between 1792 and 1815. Caron studied plants at the botanical gardens in Paris as well as books on various animals and birds to create detailed scenes of the fables. Stories illustrated on the cups include the tortoise and the hare and the fox and the stork.