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Sugar bowl (pot à sucre ovoïde)

1836
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 554
The best of the Sèvres porcelain produced in the mid-nineteenth century displays an originality of conception unmatched by the other European ceramic manufactories of the period. This inventiveness is reflected in the unusual subject matter and bold ornamental patterns employed in the decoration of this service. Each of the scenes depicts an aspect of the cultivation of cacao or the preparation of hot chocolate, and the various stages of production and the utensils employed are rendered with a surprising degree of historical accuracy. The scenes were both conceived and painted by Jean-Charles Develly, one of the most prolific and creative artists at the Sèvres factory. A different hand was responsible for the colorful borders and motifs that, though entirely fanciful, were intended to evoke ancient Aztec designs. This coffee service was purchased in 1986, when the collecting of nineteenth-century Sèvres porcelain by American museums was uncommon, and it remains one of the cornerstones of the Museum's nineteenth-century ceramic holdings.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Sugar bowl (pot à sucre ovoïde)
  • Manufactory: Sèvres Manufactory (French, 1740–present)
  • Decorator: Pictorial decoration by Jean Charles Develly (French, 1783–1849 or 1862)
  • Decorator: Gilded by Pierre Riton (active 1821–60)
  • Patron: Commissioned by Louis Philippe, King of France (French, Paris 1773–1850 Claremont, Surrey) for Queen Marie-Amélie
  • Date: 1836
  • Culture: French, Sèvres
  • Medium: Hard-paste porcelain decorated in polychrome enamels, gold
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 5 5/8 x 5 1/4 x 4 1/16 in. (14.3 x 13.3 x 10.3 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Porcelain
  • Credit Line: Purchase, The Charles E. Sampson Memorial Fund and Gift of Irwin Untermyer, by exchange, 1986
  • Object Number: 1986.281.3a, b
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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Partial coffee service (Déjeuner “Culture et Récolte du cacao”), Sèvres Manufactory French, Hard-paste porcelain decorated in polychrome enamels, gold, French, Sèvres
Partial coffee service (Déjeuner “Culture et Récolte du cacao”)
Multiple artists/makers
1836
Breakfast Service (déjeuner), Sèvres Manufactory French, Hard-paste porcelain, French, Sèvres
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1813
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Plate (Assiette à palmes) (1 of 102) (part of a service)
Sèvres Manufactory
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Plate (Assiette à palmes) (1 of 102) (part of a service)
Sèvres Manufactory
1780
Plate (Assiette à palmes) (1 of 102) (part of a service), Sèvres Manufactory French, Soft-paste porcelain, French, Sèvres
Plate (Assiette à palmes) (1 of 102) (part of a service)
Sèvres Manufactory
1780

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