Saint-Cloud was one of the earliest porcelain factories in Europe. Established initally as a faïence (tin-glazed earthenware) factory in about 1666, by the early 1690s porcelain was being made at Saint-Cloud thanks to the experiments of Pierre Chicaneau. He is thought to have died in about 1678, but passed on the results of his experiments to his wife and children. The business enjoyed the patronage of the King Louis XIV's brother, Philippe, duc d'Orléans (1640-1701) and was flourishing by the turn of the century. In the early years of porcelain production pieces sometimes bear the painted mark 'St C' and/or a sun mark, presumably indicating that it was made in the reign of 'The Sun King', Louis XIV who died in 1715.

18th-century Europe saw major changes in the way food was served at grand dinners, leading to practices that are still with us today. Many new specialised tablewares were introduced, such as tureens and sauceboats, in response to changing fashions in food. This pepper box, however, made at the turn of the century, may reflect an earlier tradition in which sweet and pungent spices were routinely used to flavour food in wealthy households. It could have been used for a selection of condiments: salts (including celery or garlic salt) and spices (pepper or nutmeg, or a spice mixture of ginger, pepper,cloves, cardamon, nutmeg and galingale). Its design is based on a silver model of similar trefoil shape, known to have been in the collection of Louis XIV as it was drawn and described before 1702. By the mid 18th century stews and ragouts had become increasingly popular and they tended to be flavoured with herbs and aromatic vegetables rather than spices.