Cup (gobelet litron)
Manufactory Sèvres Manufactory French
Not on view
The fascination with the decorative and artistic qualities of hardstones (pietre dure) was a strong current in European court and aristocratic taste in the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries, and the Sèvres porcelain manufactory acknowledged this taste by occasionally using imitation hardstone surfaces to decorate its products. One of its most ambitious attempts at reproducing the appearance of hardstones can be seen in this cup and saucer (see also 09.129.11b) with matching tray, which simulate malachite and jasper on a porphyry ground. A less complex but equally elegant decoration is found on the cup and saucer painted to imitate lapis lazuli.
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