Louis XVI coffee cup – Manufacture de la Reine, Paris (Marie-Antoinette).

Porcelain Cup and Saucer
Made in the Queen's Manufactory, rue Thiroux, Paris, Louis XVI Period, circa 1778–1790

A rare and refined small coffee cup and saucer in hard-paste porcelain, produced by the Made in the Queen's Manufactory, founded on rue Thiroux in Paris in the last quarter of the 18th century, under the direct patronage of Queen Marie Antoinette.

The cup, hemispherical in shape, rests on a small circular foot and features a simple handle with a rounded profile, decorated on its inner surface with gilt dots, a characteristic detail of high-quality Parisian porcelain from the Louis XVI period. A delicate frieze of green leafy scrolls punctuated with blue cornflowers runs beneath the rim, enhanced with fine gold lines.

The body is decorated with a scattering of small polychrome flowers and gilt motifs, arranged with great elegance. The perfectly matching saucer uses the same decorative vocabulary: a continuous floral frieze on the rim, concentric gilt lines, and a scattering of cornflowers and gilt motifs in the center.

This "cornflower" decoration, particularly popular at the end of the 18th century, is one of the emblematic designs of the Queen's Manufactory and fully illustrates the neoclassical taste associated with Marie Antoinette's style.

The reverse of the cup and saucer bears the painted red mark of a crowned capital "A," the official mark of the Queen's Manufactory, attested from 1778 onward by contemporary sources (Gazette of December 4, 1778, Henry Havard).

With its small size and hemispherical shape, this piece corresponds to a small coffee cup used at the end of the 18th century, intended for espresso, and is clearly distinguished from the so-called "bouillard" cups by its more modest format.

Dimensions:

– Saucer diameter: 10.1 cm
– Cup rim diameter: 5.8 cm
– Cup height: 4.7 cm

Condition: Very good condition for its age. No cracks or chips. Gilding well preserved, with slight wear consistent with age.

A rare, elegant, and historically documented set, a testament to the refinement of Parisian tableware during the reign of Louis XVI, and particularly sought after for its direct connection to the Queen's Manufactory.

Ref: 5AJOPX95O3