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I was drawn to the Mine cup even before I learned that leading Swedish designer Anna Kraitz was inspired by Meret Oppenheim’s 1936 “Object,” better known as the fur-covered tea cup. Though Kraitz’s cup isn’t as experimental or surreal or hairy as Oppenheim’s, its subtler play with form also succeeds in turning a simple bone china cup into a statement, and perhaps even a sculptural object.
Unlike its furry counterpart, Mine is full functional as a vessel for hot liquids and will deliver tea or coffee to your mouth just fine. The simple delight here is in details like the bowl-like saucer, which is much deeper than a normal saucer. The handle is the more obvious difference. It extends beyond the point that a handle usually ends, dripping down the side on one end and dipping into the cup itself on the other. The handle, which Kraitz fits into each cup “with the utmost skill,” is available in white, hand painted gold or platinum.
