Sèvres Manufactory, Cup and saucer, 1791

This “Etruscan” style cup was created in 1786 for Queen Marie Antoinette’s use in her dairy at the Château de Rambouillet. Its design corresponds to the “cup with Etruscan handles” suggested by Jean-Jacques Lagrenée the Younger (1739-1821) and made by Louis-Simon Boizot (1743-1809), director of the factory’s sculpture workshop. It was inspired (the profile of the handles, in particular) by antique vases and bowls in the collection of Dominique Vivant-Denon, purchased in 1784 by the Comte d’Angiviller (director of the King’s Buildings) and given to the factory the following year.