A royal coffee or chocolate cup for the King Louis XV. China, Yongzheng

The cup is decorated in the famille verte palette with translucent enamels and features the decor ordered for Louis XV, King of France (1710-1774). The main motif is an underglaze blue spray of peonies supporting a chrysanthemum flower, surmounted by a basket of citrus fruit. Additional motifs include fans and chrysanthemum heads in rounded cartouches.

The body is decorated with the single coat of arms of Louis XV, D’azur à trois fleurs de lys d’or, with the collars of the Order of Saint Michael and of the Holy Spirit, surmounted by the royal French crown. The rim is decorated with a frieze depicting the collar of the Holy Spirit, the base has a frieze with fer-de-lance motifs. The back of the cup bears the King’s cypher, a double opposing “L” accompanied by laurel branches within four cartouches.

COUNTRY : China
PERIOD : Yongzheng (1723-1735), ca. 1725-1728
MATERIAL : Porcelain
SIZE : 8.5 x 7.2 cm
STATUT : sold
Informations request
Related works :

A coffee cup with a slightly different shape (probably a later production), from the commission of the King Philip V of Spain (1683-1746), is in the collection of the Palacio Real de Madrid

An early goblet (without handle), with the coat of arms of Philippe II d’Orléans is in a French private collection.

Additonal informations :

The shape of the cup is rare in that it is unusually tall and large. It is probably a prototype illustrating the transition from the goblet (without a handle) to the cup (with a handle), it was probably intended for serving frothing hot chocolate or coffee. This cup is a discovery and the only known example.

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