Sèvres Porcelain Coffee Can, Revolutionary Period, Circa 1797

A rare and interesting Sèvres porcelain revolutionary period coffee cup, circa 1797, with a painted speckled purple faux stone ground, a reserve of faux white marble with a bronze and gilt painted winged figure writing on a tablet, the reserve partly surrounded by a bronze and gilt painted wreath, a band below the rim decorated with tricolor red, white, and blue ribbons and laurel wreath swags, with gilded rims and handle.

Maker’s marks include blue-painted République Française “RF” monogram, “BIiii”, “Sevres” (partly rubbed), gold-painted “lf” mark (possibly gilder’s mark or for “La France”), impressed “A.M” mark. See images)

Measurements:
Height: 6.5cm (2.6in)
Diameter: 6.5cm (2.6in)

Condition: Very small chip/hairline on base rim (see image), light wear, no restoration found under ultraviolet light.

Note: This cup symbolises the short period in its history when the Sèvres manufactory had suddenly lost its market and, desperate to regain relevance under the new regime, overcompensated with the severity of its design, almost the antithesis of its former delicacy and artistry, with only the tricolor band and the gilding of the handle harking back to its products for l’ancien régime. The Met Museum has a plate (Object Number: 1987.224) also with a similar bronze-painted figure in a faux marble reserve, from a dessert service that proved unsuccessful, dated to 1807/8.

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