The most important French porcelain factory was founded in about 1740 in the royal château of Vincennes, with workmen lured from the nearby factory at Chantilly. Commercial production began in earnest around 1745 when Louis XV granted it a privilege to make porcelain 'in the manner of Saxony, painted and gilded, with human figures'.

As the wording of the privilege suggests, the factory's earliest style was indebted to the prestigious hard-paste porcelain made at Meissen in Saxony. However, the support and protection of Louis XV and his mistress, Madame de Pompadour, enabled Vincennes to secure the best technicians, artists, sculptors and designers. Jean-Claude Duplessis (director of models, 1748-74), Jean-Jacques Bachelier (director of decoration, 1751-93), Etienne-Maurice Falconet (director of sculpture, 1757-66) and the painter François Boucher played a central role in the development of this entirely new French art form. The factory's repertoire quickly evolved from the emulation of East Asian or Meissen examples to incorporate the latest styles used in French gilt-bronze, woodcarving and decorative painting. Vincennes became renowned for its luxurious ground colours and richly-tooled gilded decoration. The first ground colour developed by the factory in 1752 was the blue called blue lapis seen here on this bowl. A sequence of letters to date pieces was introduced in 1754. Starting with 'A', this is the letter found on the base of this bowl, allowing us to date it to that year. The date letters are usually inscribed within the interlaced Ls of the royal cipher which the factory adopted as its mark, denoting its special status under royal protection.

By this period a new way of dining had become standard for wealthy people in France, the so called 'service à la française'. This was less stiff and formal than the previous style of entertaining and entailed separate savoury and sweet courses. All the dishes were placed on the table at the same time for each course, usually in a symmetrical arrangement, and diners were able to serve their neighbours and themselves. Many of the dishes were designed for particular types of food. This bowl was probably used for serving vegetables or salad as part of the first savory course, possibly with other shaped items with matching decoration.

By 1756 Vincennes had outgrown its workshops in the old château and the factory transferred to specially constructed premises at Sèvres. The Royal Manufactory specialised in exceptionally luxurious objects, many destined for the French court. Capable of startling innovation, the factory produced a constantly evolving repertoire to suit the changing tastes of its clients. Sèvres porcelain was admired and collected by the royal, noble and wealthy elite throughout Europe, but it also became widely imitated.