(Tasse) gobelet litron
Cup
1781 (made)
1781 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This cup and saucer is of the standard shape made by the Vincennes/Sèvres porcelain factory, however this particular one is very unusual as it commemorates the birth of a special baby, the Dauphin, as the heir to the French throne was always called. Queen Marie-Antoinette gave birth to her first son, Louis Joseph on 22nd October 1781, and the dolphin symbol of the Dauphin can be found on the both the cup and saucer: on the cup the dolphin supports a globe painted with fleurs de lys, white lilies, symbolic of the French royal house together with a ribbon inscribed 'La Voeu de la France' and below the dolphin's chin in gold, the date '22.8.1781'; while on the saucer a pink dolphin lies within the crossed Ls, cipher of King Louis XVI, entwined with a white lily and a pink rose and bud, symbolic of the royal family. Sadly the Dauphin died aged only seven in 1789.
Geoffrey de Bellaigue (see below) has written about the range of special items made by the Sèvres factory at this time. In anticipation of the birth, in September 1781 Jean-Jacques Bachelier, the head of the painter's workshop, was asked to design allegories and symbols appropriate to the long-awaited birth of a royal heir: 'During the period 20 Nov 1781-25 March 1782 a range of cups and a few broth-basins were fired in the enamel-kiln which were painted with dolphins, fleurs-de-lis and allegorical subjects, no doubt based on Bachelier's sketches'. As well as this cup and saucer, there is a broth bowl, cover and stand (ecuelle), with similar decoration in the museum's collection, number 19-1922. These rare items with their special decoration do not appear in the factory's sales records, suggesting they were extraordinary productions, possibly commissioned directly by the crown. It's conceivable that cups and saucers were presented by the King to important courtiers and diplomatic allies to celebrate the Dauphin's birth, but the ultimate consumer of the broth bowls is an interesting point of conjecture. They may well have been intended for the use of Queen Marie-Antoinette herself.
Svend Eriksen and Geoffrey de Bellaigue, Sèvres Porcelain, Vincennes and Sèvres 1740-1800, (London: Faber and Faber, 1987), discussed p. 135, illustrated colour plate O
Geoffrey de Bellaigue (see below) has written about the range of special items made by the Sèvres factory at this time. In anticipation of the birth, in September 1781 Jean-Jacques Bachelier, the head of the painter's workshop, was asked to design allegories and symbols appropriate to the long-awaited birth of a royal heir: 'During the period 20 Nov 1781-25 March 1782 a range of cups and a few broth-basins were fired in the enamel-kiln which were painted with dolphins, fleurs-de-lis and allegorical subjects, no doubt based on Bachelier's sketches'. As well as this cup and saucer, there is a broth bowl, cover and stand (ecuelle), with similar decoration in the museum's collection, number 19-1922. These rare items with their special decoration do not appear in the factory's sales records, suggesting they were extraordinary productions, possibly commissioned directly by the crown. It's conceivable that cups and saucers were presented by the King to important courtiers and diplomatic allies to celebrate the Dauphin's birth, but the ultimate consumer of the broth bowls is an interesting point of conjecture. They may well have been intended for the use of Queen Marie-Antoinette herself.
Svend Eriksen and Geoffrey de Bellaigue, Sèvres Porcelain, Vincennes and Sèvres 1740-1800, (London: Faber and Faber, 1987), discussed p. 135, illustrated colour plate O
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | (Tasse) gobelet litron (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Hard-paste porcelain, painted in enamels and gilt |
| Brief description | Cup, porcelain painted with emblems including a dolphin in enamels, Sèvres porcelain factory, France, 1781 |
| Physical description | Cup, hard-paste porcelain, kicked loop handle and acanthus form, decorated with emblems including a dolphin above a ribbon inscribed 'Le Voeu de la France', painted in enamels and with gilt on a maroon ground. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by John Jones |
| Object history | Inscribed 'La Voeu de la France 22.8.1781', commemorating the birth of the Dauphin. Jones Bequest According to Geoffrey de Bellaigue (see below): 'During the period 20 November 1781 to 25 March 1782 a range of cups and a few broth-basins were fired in the enamel-kiln which were painted with dolphins, fleurs-de-lis and allegorical subjects, no doubt based on Bachelier's sketches. One such cup, a gobelet litron of the largest size, is illustrated in Colour Plate O. It bears the date-letters for 1781 and the mark of the artist, L.-F. Lécot. The cup is painted with a banderole bearing the legend, 'Le Voeu de la France ', and the date, 22 October 1781, is inscribed at the foot of the composition.' |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This cup and saucer is of the standard shape made by the Vincennes/Sèvres porcelain factory, however this particular one is very unusual as it commemorates the birth of a special baby, the Dauphin, as the heir to the French throne was always called. Queen Marie-Antoinette gave birth to her first son, Louis Joseph on 22nd October 1781, and the dolphin symbol of the Dauphin can be found on the both the cup and saucer: on the cup the dolphin supports a globe painted with fleurs de lys, white lilies, symbolic of the French royal house together with a ribbon inscribed 'La Voeu de la France' and below the dolphin's chin in gold, the date '22.8.1781'; while on the saucer a pink dolphin lies within the crossed Ls, cipher of King Louis XVI, entwined with a white lily and a pink rose and bud, symbolic of the royal family. Sadly the Dauphin died aged only seven in 1789. Geoffrey de Bellaigue (see below) has written about the range of special items made by the Sèvres factory at this time. In anticipation of the birth, in September 1781 Jean-Jacques Bachelier, the head of the painter's workshop, was asked to design allegories and symbols appropriate to the long-awaited birth of a royal heir: 'During the period 20 Nov 1781-25 March 1782 a range of cups and a few broth-basins were fired in the enamel-kiln which were painted with dolphins, fleurs-de-lis and allegorical subjects, no doubt based on Bachelier's sketches'. As well as this cup and saucer, there is a broth bowl, cover and stand (ecuelle), with similar decoration in the museum's collection, number 19-1922. These rare items with their special decoration do not appear in the factory's sales records, suggesting they were extraordinary productions, possibly commissioned directly by the crown. It's conceivable that cups and saucers were presented by the King to important courtiers and diplomatic allies to celebrate the Dauphin's birth, but the ultimate consumer of the broth bowls is an interesting point of conjecture. They may well have been intended for the use of Queen Marie-Antoinette herself. Svend Eriksen and Geoffrey de Bellaigue, Sèvres Porcelain, Vincennes and Sèvres 1740-1800, (London: Faber and Faber, 1987), discussed p. 135, illustrated colour plate O |
| Associated objects |
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| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 786-1882 |
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| Record created | June 7, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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