Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
French, 1756–present
Saucer painted by Nicquet Cup painted by Jean-Baptiste Tandart, l'aîné, (French, active 1754–1800) Saucer gilded by Jean-Pierre Boulanger, (French, 1722–1785)
Cup and Saucer from the Catherine II Service of 1777–1779
saucer: 1778; cup: 1779
This cup and saucer once belonged to an elaborate dinner service for sixty people, commissioned from the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory by Catherine the Great of Russia. Every aspect of the design was worked out to her exacting specifications and the set took nearly forty craftspeople three years to complete. The color reflected the empress's love of the semiprecious stone turquoise and the decorations include Catherine’s monogram (“E” for “Ekaterina”) and profile medallions that imitate the classical cameos she collected.
| Medium | soft-paste porcelain |
| Dimensions | Height of cup: 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm); diameter: 2 3/16 in. (5.6 cm) Saucer: 1 1/4 × 4 3/4 × 4 3/4 in. (3.2 × 12.1 × 12.1 cm) |
| Object Number | 1955.1079a-b |
| Acquisition | Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, Cup and Saucer from the Catherine II Service of 1777–1779, saucer: 1778; cup: 1779, soft-paste porcelain. Clark Art Institute, 1955.1079a-b
