Gobelet et soucoupe enfoncée
Cup and Cover
1784 (made)
1784 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
The Sèvres porcelain painter, André-Vincent Vielliard might have seen the dramatic incident depicted on this cup and saucer himself. On 2nd March 1784, the pioneering aeronaut, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, brought his hydrogen gas balloon down only a short distance from Sèvres in the rue de Sèvres in Billancourt. He had taken off from the Champ de Mars in Paris and intended to fly to La Villette; however, the wind blew him south-west towards Sèvres. His daring exploits caused a sensation as this was only the third time Parisians had witnessed such an event: the first successful manned balloon flight had taken place on 21st November 1783, when Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes took off from the palace of Versailles in a hot air balloon made by the Montgolfier brothers. The first manned hydrogen balloon flight had taken place on 1st December 1783, when Professor Jacques Charles and Nicolas-Louis Robert ascended from the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris.
It is not surprising that a number of tea wares painted with this subject are known, as the balloon flights sparked a veritable mania for ballooning and Sèvres responded by creating the equivalent of modern-day souvenirs, albeit for well-heeled customers. Ballooning scenes were also painted on fans and snuff boxes and influenced fashion with puffed skirts and sleeves and even special hairstyles.
It is not surprising that a number of tea wares painted with this subject are known, as the balloon flights sparked a veritable mania for ballooning and Sèvres responded by creating the equivalent of modern-day souvenirs, albeit for well-heeled customers. Ballooning scenes were also painted on fans and snuff boxes and influenced fashion with puffed skirts and sleeves and even special hairstyles.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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Title | Gobelet et soucoupe enfoncée (manufacturer's title) |
Materials and techniques | Soft-paste porcelain, painted in enamels and gilt |
Brief description | Soft paste porcelain cup and cover, painted in enamels and gilt, made by Sèvres porcelain factory, France, 1784 |
Physical description | Cup and cover, soft-paste porcelain painted in enamels and gilded, decorated with landscapes, one depicting the first balloon flight ever made by Jean-Pierre Blanchard on March 2nd 1784 from the Champ de Mars to the plain of Billancourt, near Sèvres. The cover has a fruit and leaf knop, and the cup has a replacement handle. See C.114-1972 for a similar scene. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions |
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Credit line | Bequeathed by Mrs T. R. P. Hole |
Object history | Mrs. T.R.P. Hole Bequest. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | The Sèvres porcelain painter, André-Vincent Vielliard might have seen the dramatic incident depicted on this cup and saucer himself. On 2nd March 1784, the pioneering aeronaut, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, brought his hydrogen gas balloon down only a short distance from Sèvres in the rue de Sèvres in Billancourt. He had taken off from the Champ de Mars in Paris and intended to fly to La Villette; however, the wind blew him south-west towards Sèvres. His daring exploits caused a sensation as this was only the third time Parisians had witnessed such an event: the first successful manned balloon flight had taken place on 21st November 1783, when Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes took off from the palace of Versailles in a hot air balloon made by the Montgolfier brothers. The first manned hydrogen balloon flight had taken place on 1st December 1783, when Professor Jacques Charles and Nicolas-Louis Robert ascended from the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris. It is not surprising that a number of tea wares painted with this subject are known, as the balloon flights sparked a veritable mania for ballooning and Sèvres responded by creating the equivalent of modern-day souvenirs, albeit for well-heeled customers. Ballooning scenes were also painted on fans and snuff boxes and influenced fashion with puffed skirts and sleeves and even special hairstyles. |
Associated object | C.114-1972 (Depiction) |
Collection | |
Accession number | C.246&A-1987 |
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Record created | June 7, 2004 |
Record URL |
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