Dinner Set, Cup And Saucer, Porcelain With Polychrome Floral Decoration, Circa 1815-1830

A porcelain breakfast cup featuring a delicate polychrome floral design and gilding. Hidden inside the coiled handle is a moon-shaped face made of bisque porcelain. In good overall condition, with some slight wear to the gilding.

Dated circa 1815–1830, Restoration.

Dimensions of the cup: H 10 x Diam. 10.7 cm; of the saucer: H 2.5 x Diam. 16.5 cm

The "déjeuner"

In the vocabulary of the decorative arts, the term “déjeuner” refers not only to a meal but also to a set of tableware intended for serving hot beverages, generally consisting of a cup and saucer. In the 18th century, with the spread of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate throughout Europe, these beverages became a true social ritual, fostering the development of ceramic forms specifically designed for their enjoyment.

The cup, an individual vessel with a handle, is adapted to the nature of the beverage served. Manufacturers thus distinguish between coffee, tea, and hot chocolate cups, whose proportions vary depending on their intended use. The breakfast cup, larger than the teacup, is intended for coffee with milk or hot chocolate consumed at breakfast.

The saucer (or cup saucer) serves a dual purpose. First, it protects the table from spills or the heat of the cup, but it also contributes to the overall aesthetic by extending the design.

In major European porcelain manufacturers, notably Sèvres, Meissen, and Vienna, the cup and its saucer are always designed as an inseparable set.