Ice cream cup (tasse à glace) (one of thirty-one) (part of a service)
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
confirmed: 2 5/8 × 2 7/8 × 2 3/8 in. (6.7 × 7.3 × 6 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
French, Sèvres
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Emma T. Gary, 1934
Accession Number
37.20.52
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *tasse à glace* ( cream cup), one of-one from a grand service, was crafted by the renowned Sèvres Manufactory in 1771. Measuring just 2⅝ × 2⅞ × 2⅜ inches, this soft-paste porcelain piece captures the pinnacle of French luxury during the late Louis XV era. Sèvres, the royal porcelain factory near Versailles, produced these delicate vessels for the aristocracy, where ice cream— a novel frozen treat imported from Italy—became a fashionable dessert at opulent banquets. Soft-paste porcelain, Sèvres' signature medium before the shift to harder formulas, offered a creamy translucency ...
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...