Image: Porzellanmuseum im Augarten, Vienna
Vienna’s Porzellanmuseum im Augarten is highlighting a new design from the Wiener Porzellanmanufaktur Augarten: the 'Espressotasse, Tennisspieler' ('Espresso Cup, Tennis Player'). The product page describes the cup as part of the 'Menschen'/'People' service, a hand-painted porcelain line created by Franz Pleininger, who is identified by Augarten as a painter at the manufactory. The new motif is inspired by tennis and joins other figures in the series, extending a decorative concept that links everyday coffee service with scenes of movement and social life.
According to the museum’s and brand’s website text, the cup is presented in a modern, reduced form with original painting in black and gold accents. Augarten says the décor captures “the lightness and tension of the game” through a hand-painted depiction that reflects “the grace and intensity” of tennis. The same product material also states that the décor is dishwasher-safe, placing practical use alongside the company’s emphasis on artisanal decoration.
The tennis design sits within a broader 'People' series that Augarten describes through a vignette of urban and intimate moments: a shopping trip through Vienna, a kiss under an umbrella, and hand in hand. On the product page, the manufacturer explains that the couples depicted on the cups cast a shadow on the saucer, a design detail that distinguishes the series. The site also positions the collection among Augarten’s “Graphic patterns” and “People” categories, showing it as one item in an ongoing decorative program rather than a standalone novelty.
Franz Pleininger is named as the designer-painter behind the series in the verified source text, but no additional biographical information is provided in the material reviewed. The website’s English-language product copy likewise presents the tennis cup as a new sujet, or motif, created in response to the fascination of the sport. The emphasis remains on craft and decoration: the cup is identified as handcrafted, with a capacity of 50 mL, and offered in a black version on the product page.
The source material also shows how the new tennis cup fits into a group of related 'People' designs. In the newsletter text, Augarten points readers to other motifs in the series, including the 'Espressotasse, Radrennfahrer' ('Espresso Cup, Racing Cyclist'), 'Espressotasse, Paar mit Schirm' ('Espresso Cup, Couple with Umbrella'), and 'Espressotasse, Shopping Queen' ('Espresso Cup, Shopping Queen'). Those references indicate that the collection uses contemporary, lightly narrative figures as recurring decorative subjects across multiple cups.
Augarten’s website presents the 'Espressotasse, Tennisspieler' as part of its current online assortment, where the 'Graphic patterns' page lists 'Espresso Cup, Tennis Player' among the 'People' items. The product is priced at €150 on the English-language page and €144 on the German page, both indicating the same 50 mL cup and the black variant with gold accents.
