Cup and Saucer
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain and gilding
Dimensions
6 × 13.3 cm (2 3/8 × 5 1/4 in.)
Classification
drinking vessel
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
135753
Art Historical Context
This elegant cup and saucer, around 1757 by the Manufacture nationale de Svres, exemplifies the refined luxury of 18th-century French porcelain. Produced at the renowned royal factory established under Louis XV, the piece reflects the era’s taste for delicate tableware that combined utility with opulent display. Soft-paste porcelain, a material prized for its creamy translucence and ability to take fine detail, was carefully molded and then enhanced with delicate gilding, creating a shimmering surface that caught the light during use. Sèvres porcelain held immense cultural significance as a s...
About the Artist
Manufacture nationale de Sèvres · 1763–1800
The Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, a premier French porcelain factory, flourished from 1763 to 1800 as the royal powerhouse of European ceramics, producing opulent soft- and hard-paste porcelain under the patronage of Louis XV and XVI. Originally founded in Vincennes in 1740 to rival Meissen and Chantilly, it relocated to Sèvres in 1756 and was fully acquired by the Crown in 1759, becoming the M...