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Gobelet litron et soucoupe: C.48 & A-1961

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Gobelet litron et soucoupe

Maker(s)

Factory: Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
Micaud, Jacques-François
Gilder: Noël, Guillaume

Entities

Categories

Description

Soft-paste porcelain cup and saucer, with a bleu nouveau ground, painted in enamels with a basket of flowers in reserve, and gilded.

Soft-paste porcelain decorated with a bleu nouveau or beau bleu ground, painting in green, pale blue, yellow, pale and dark pink, orange, mauve, and brown enamels, and gilding. Cylindrical cup with double-curved handle, the upper part of the back of which is decorated with small knobs. Circular saucer with flat central area and deep, sloping sides. There is a suspension hole in the footring of both pieces. The cup has a bleu nouveau ground with an approximately oval reserve framed by a wide chased gilt band and painted in polychrome with a basket of flowers standing on a marble table. The ground is decorated with two oval wreaths of gilt flowers and leaves enclosed in oval scrolled frames linked to each other and to the reserve by projecting scrolls. There is a gilt band round the foot, and round the rim, a wide undulating gilt band, dentilated on the interior. The handle is entirely gilt. The centre of the saucer is painted in polychrome with a tall basket of flowers, with a bow of pink ribbon on its handle. Two roses and a yellow flower lie beside the basket, which stands on a marble table. The sides have a bleu nouveau ground decorated with six circular wreaths of gilt flowers and leaves enclosed in scrolled frames linked by projecting scrolls with pendant husks at the junctions. There is a wide, chased gilt band round the lower edge of the sides and a wide, undulating gilt band round the rim, dentilated on the exterior.

Notes

History note: Possibly Henry Thomas Foley (1850-1905), 5th Baron Foley, Ruxley Lodge, Surrey; or his successor Fitzalan Charles John Foley (1852-1918) also of Ruxley Lodge; probably sold Castiglione & Scott, 14 October 1919, Catalogue of the vary rare and magnificent collection of Heirlooms and Objets d’Art.Very fine specimens of high-class furniture, etc., of the Louis Seize, Chippendale, and other periods; valuable services of Sèvres, Crown Derby, Dresden, Oriental and other Choice China and Porcelain . . . sold by order of the Right Honourable Gerald Henry Brian Foley, Ruxley Lodge, Claygate, Surrey, lot . Louis C.G. Clarke, MA, Cambridge before 1948

Legal notes

L.C.G. Clarke Bequest, 1960

Place(s) associated

  • Sèvres ⪼ French

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1961-04-27) by Clarke, Louis Colville Gray

Dating

18th Century, third quarter#
Louis XVI
Production date: AD 1774 : date letter for 1774

Note

Bleu nouveau was an overglaze ground colour in use from 1768 to 1771. It was either renamed or replaced by beau bleu from 1768 (see Documentation, Savill, 1988, vol. III)

The gobelet litron was named after a cubic measure, the litron, which was normally made of wood, and was used for dry stuffs, such as corn and peas. Its size in Paris had been defined in 1670 as the equivalent of 9.45 cm high and 10.15 cm in diameter in pouces and lignes, which was larger than the largest of the porcelain cups. The first size of gobelet litron had been introduced at Vincennes before October 1752 when it was mentioned in an inventory of stock, but was probably being made earlier (records are lacking).The second and third sizes followed in 1753, and the fourth and fifth in 1757. They could be fitted with one of seven different handle forms . A drawing in the archives at Sèvres is dated 19 February 1753 (MNS, R1, liasse 2, dossier 2, No. 6bis) They were supplied singly, singly with a plateau carré, in ’harlequin’ sets, or as part of matching dejeuner. (See Documentation, Préaux 1991, Bellaigue 2009, Savill, 1988) This is a gobelet litron of the second size, with Savill's handle D. A richly decorated cup and saucer like this might have been purchased as an ornament rather than for use.

When purchased by L.C.G. Clarke Clarke, the x mark was interpreted as that of Jean-Charles Grison l’ainé, whose mark resembles back to back Cs, and was working 1772-74. (Peters, 2005, vol. I, p.47.) but seems more like to be the mark of Micaud, who was mainly a flower-painter. Noël was identified as the painter, whereas in this instance he was probably the gilder.

School or Style

Louis XVI

Components of the work

Decoration composed of ground colour ( bleu nouveau or beau bleu) enamels ( green, pale blue, yellow, pale and dark pink, orange, mauve, and brown) gold
Saucer Diameter 14.0 cm Height 6.9 cm
Cup Rim Diameter 6.7 cm
Cup Height 6.8 cm
Cup With Handle Width 9.2 cm
Ground

Materials used in production

presumed Lead-glaze
Soft-paste porcelain

Techniques used in production

Lead-glazing : Soft-paste porcelain with lead-glaze (presumed), decorated with an overglaze bleu nouveau or beau bleu ground painted in polychrome enamels in the reserves, and gilding

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: interlaced L's enclosing V

  • Location: On the base of the cup and saucer
  • Method of creation: Painted in blue enamel
  • Type: Factory mark

Inscription present: the X is now obscured by a label

  • Text: X
  • Location: On the base of the cup, below factory mark
  • Method of creation: Painted in blue enamel
  • Type: Painter's mark

Inscription present: a horizontal line, and a line above with an arch in the middle

  • Location: On the base of the cup and saucer, above factory mark
  • Method of creation: Painted in gold
  • Type: Gilder's mark
  • Text: X
  • Location: On the base of the saucer, below factory mark
  • Method of creation: Painted in gold
  • Type: Painter's mark

Inscription present: in script letters

  • Text: OL
  • Location: On base of cup
  • Method of creation: Incised
  • Type: Mark

Inscription present: in script

  • Text: CL
  • Location: On base of saucer
  • Method of creation: Incised
  • Type: Mark

Inscription present: large circular paper label with a red circle near the edge

  • Text: FOLEY (in ink)/HEIRLOOM, (printed in red)/Gilder=Grison (hand-written)/SEVRES (printed in black)/1774/RUXLEY LODGE (hand-written)
  • Location: On the base of the cup
  • Method of creation: Printed in red and black, and hand-written in black ink
  • Type: Label

Inscription present: rectangular paper label wtih rounded corners

  • Text: SEVRES (printed in black) Painter Noel/Date/1774 (hand-written)
  • Location: On base of saucer
  • Method of creation: Printed in black, and hand-written in faded black ink
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.48 & A-1961
Primary reference Number: 75238
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 31 August 2018 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Gobelet litron et soucoupe" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/75238 Accessed: 2024-11-05 16:44:42

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/75238 |title=Gobelet litron et soucoupe |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-05 16:44:42|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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