Cup (gobelet)
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
3 1/2 × 3 3/8 in. (8.9 × 8.6 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
French, Sèvres
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Ronald D. Schwarz, 1964
Accession Number
64.42.1
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Cup (gobelet)* from the Sèvres Manufactory, crafted in 1765, exemplifies the pinnacle of 18th-century French porcelain artistry. Made of soft-paste porcelain—a refined European substitute for true Chinese porcelain before the hard-paste formula was perfected—this petite vessel measures just 3½ × 3⅜ inches, ideal for intimate sips of coffee or chocolate in aristocratic salons. Sèvres, the royal manufactory near Versailles, held a monopoly on luxury porcelain under Louis XV, blending technical innovation with opulent design. Soft-paste porcelain allowed Sèvres artisans to achieve...
About the Artist
Sèvres Manufactory · 1740–present
The Sèvres Manufactory, one of Europe's premier porcelain producers, was established in 1740 as the Manufacture de Vincennes under the patronage of Queen Marie Leszczyńska, who sought to rival Meissen and Chantilly porcelains with French soft-paste innovations. Initially a private venture, it relocated to Sèvres in 1756 in a purpose-built facility designed by architect Laurent Lindet near Madame d...