Cup and Socketed Saucer (gobelet et soucoupe “enfoncé”)

This bucket-shaped cup with two interlaced scrolls as handles fits perfectly into the saucer’s socket, snuggly holding the cup. Likely intended for the sick and aging, this cup and saucer pairing ensured that the cup remained steady and no liquid fell onto the ailing or weak individual. Intended to serve hot and cold milk drinks that were prescribed to remedy fever, melancholy, and the effects of drinking too much alcohol, this type of cup was also used to consume tea and hot chocolate, as there are records of patrons ordering this vessel type to match tea and chocolate services. It is possible that Sèvres initially designed the gobelet et soucoupe “enfoncé” for Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s head mistress, who was incredibly sick in the early 1760s; Sèvres archives indicate that nobody else bought this type of dish until after her death in 1764. Ornamented with fantastical birds of paradise and garlands of pink, red, and periwinkle flowers, this cup and saucer was sure to bring cheer to its feeble user.

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