CUP (GOBELET "LITRON")

Creator(s): Etienne-Henri LeGuay (Gilder) , Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory (Manufacturer)

On view in: French Porcelain Room

About this object

Contrasting with the dark blue (beau bleu) of the cup and the lavish thick gilding is an oval medallion containing a bust portrait of Benjamin Franklin in grisaille. An American envoy to the French court, Franklin was so widely regarded by the French as an apostle of liberty that his likeness appeared in all kinds of media, from prints and medals to porcelain cups such as these, of which fourteen were produced. In the center of the saucer is a cluster of emblems of the Franco-American Alliance of 1777, in which Franklin played an instrumental role.

The ground is dark blue (beau bleu), on the front of the cup is an oval medallion with a bust portrait in grisaille of Benjamin Franklin facing left. His name is inscribed on either side in gold capital letters. A broad band of floral swags, leaf scrolls, and small sections of latticework, all in gold, decorate the cup's upper edge as well as the saucer's rim. Rendered in grisaille in the center of the saucer is a cluster of emblems of the Franco-American Alliance of 1777: a shield with three fleurs-de-lis, two spears, a branch of laurel, and two banners, one of which is inscribed AMERIQUE.

Object name:

CUP (GOBELET "LITRON")

Made from:

Soft paste porcelain

Made in:

Sèvres, France

Date made:

ca. 1779

Size:

H. 3 in., W. 4 in., D. 3 in. (including handle)

Detailed information for this item

Catalog number:

24.151.1

Class:

CERAMICS

Signature marks:

MARK .1 (cup) and .2 (saucer) with crossed L's and L g, for Etienne-Henri Le Guay père (the elder), painter and gilder from 1776-1817; .1 has 43 incised; .2 has 40 incised

Credit line:

Bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973