Cleveland Museum of Art

Cup and Saucer (Gobelet et soucoupe enfoncée)

Date

1767

Medium

Soft-paste porcelain with enamel and gilt decoration

Culture

France, Sèvres

Department

Decorative Art and Design

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Madame de Pompadour, great patron of Sèvres porcelain and official mistress of Louis XV, was the first to purchase a cup and saucer of this design in 1762. In the late 1760s and 1770s, this design was purchased primarily by members of the royal family or court including Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, the countess of Choiseul, and Madame du Barry. This cup’s socketed saucer would have helped a user keep a drink steady.

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