Cleveland Museum of Art

Covered Broth Bowl and Stand (Écuelle ronde et plateau ovale)

Date

1772

Medium

soft-paste porcelain with enamel and gilt decoration

Culture

France, Sèvres

Department

Decorative Art and Design

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Birds were collected in all forms during the 18th century following an increased European interest in natural history. The birds on this bowl and stand were painted by François-Joseph Aloncle, one of the Sèvres porcelain factory’s principal bird painters. Small, two handled bowls like this one would hold broths or soups consumed by an individual during the toilette , a ritual of washing and dressing practiced by the 18th-century French elite. Two different colors of gold decorate these objects’ borders, exemplifying more complex forms of gilding introduced in the 1770s.

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