Royal Sèvres Manufactory, Soft-paste Porcelain Litron Cup And Saucer, C. 1755

ROYAL MANUFACTORY OF SÈVRES (or VINCENNES)
A one-litre cup and saucer in soft porcelain, with a polychrome decoration depicting a romantic scene of a young man playing the mandolin in a rural landscape; the rim of the cup and the edge of the saucer are adorned with a rich frieze of lace and gilded foliage scrolls on a white background.
Marked with an interlaced double ‘L’ enclosing the date letter ‘C’ (for 1755–1756) painted in blue beneath the foot. Bears an old handwritten label beneath the foot: ‘Sèvres – 1755 / The gift of the Marquess of Dufferin & Ava to W. H. Wayne 1890’.
Louis XV period (c. 1755–1756).
Very good condition.

The ‘litron’ cup and saucer are among the most iconic forms created by the Royal Manufactory of Vincennes, and later Sèvres, in the mid-18th century. Produced in several sizes, they provided the manufactory’s painters and gilders with an ideal surface on which to depict genre scenes – whether courtly or bucolic – inspired by the works of François Boucher.

Our one-litre cup, which is a fine example of the high-quality craftsmanship of the mid-18th century, is notable for the delicacy of its gallant painting and the significance of its 19th-century English provenance, as indicated by the label marking it as a gift from the Marquis of Dufferin and Ava.