Decorative Art

Tea and Coffee Set (déjeuner), 1814
Hard paste (true) porcelain
Made by the Royal Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, Sèvres, France
Flowers painted by Denis-Désiré Riocreux (1791-1872)
Gilding by Antoine-Gabriel Boullemier, jeune
Purchased with funds from the Alice Speed Stoll Accessions Trust 199.5.1-.8

This lavish tea and coffee set (known as a déjeuner) was produced in 1814 by the Sèvres porcelain manufactory. Combining richly gilded Neoclassical ornament with precisely painted flowers, the set was a high-style luxury item when first produced. It has survived the centuries completely intact, even retaining its original, leather-covered, fitted box.
The Déjeuner’s Design and Manufacture

Like the best of Sèvres's output, this magnificent tea and coffee set represents the height of fashion at the time of its manufacture. Its shapes and especially its gilded ornament followed what was then often called the antique, classical, or Grecian taste; this style is today commonly called the Empire style. Named after Napoleon’s empire, the style rose to prominence along with Napoleon at the turn of the 19th century. Befitting Napoleon’s visions of grandeur (he initiated construction of the Arc de Triomphe and other grandiose structures), the Empire style freely borrowed forms and ornaments from ancient Greece and Rome to produce heroic, richly decorated architecture and objects.

The déjeuner’s gilded festoons, ribbons, and leaves, for example, came from the classical past, but were creatively combined for maximum decorative effect. Meanwhile, the monumental qualities of the Empire style are captured in miniature by the stern griffin perched atop the coffee pot, the wreath-shaped knops that crown the tea pot and sugar bowl, and the idealized female heads at the ends of many of the handles.

To today’s eyes, the set’s symmetrical, Empire style flourishes seem a bit out of place next to its lush floral arrangements. Sèvres, however, had long been known for its exquisite flower painting, a tradition that continued into the 19th century. During this period, its floral decoration became more complex and lavish, inspired in part by 17th- and 18th-century Dutch still life painting.

The déjeuner’s aesthetic mix also reflects intellectual trends of the era: the same impulse that inspired the careful study of ancient design also inspired a more rigorous approach to botany and other subjects. The factory’s director at the time, Alexandre Brongniart (1770–1847) was himself a man of science who insisted on botanical accuracy. He also oversaw an expansion of the number of species depicted by the factory’s artists. One wonders how classical purists of the day regarded the mixing of floral arrangements with "ancient" ornament. Whatever their judgments, the juxtaposition is successful; Brongniart and his staff knew how to create a successful design.

Superb design, though, means little without superb execution. True to Sèvres’s reputation, the déjeuner was decorated with an exceptional attention to detail. After the undecorated forms (known as blanks) had been glazed and fired, their brilliant white surfaces were slowly encased in color. First, the vivid, emerald green ground was applied using brushes made of either badger or polecat hair. Next came the flowers, which were all painted with botantical precision by Denis-Désiré Riocreux (1791–1872); his mark appears on the bottom of most of the pieces. Over the span of several months, Riocreux applied unique bouquets to each side of the various serving and drinking pieces. Last came the gilding. As with Riocreux’s flowers, the gilding was applied with remarkable delicacy to create the illusion of shape and depth. After the gilding had been fired, it was polished, or burnished, with equal care. Burnishing was done selectively to create contrasts between polished and unpolished areas. For example, a careful look at the female heads at the base of the handles shows that their cheekbones, eyebrows, and noses were burnished. As a result, the women almost look as if they are wearing makeup.

The Set’s History
For curators, the finest objects are those that not only possess great beauty, but also possess a well-documented history. The déjeuner falls into this category. For example, we know a great deal about its design and manufacture thanks to the surviving records of the Sèvres factory (which still operates today as a state-owned company). These tell us the year of manufacture and the set’s original price (2,085 Francs), as well as who designed the various shapes, who did the painting and gilding and when, and how much each piece cost to produce. We also know that its flower painter, Riocreux, suffered so badly from failing eyesight that by 1817 he was working as the first curator of what would become Sèvres’s museum; perhaps a career spent painting such small flowers with such precise care eventually took its toll.

The most interesting episode in the déjeuner’s early history, however, came two years after it had been completed. In 1816, the set was still in the factory’s sales room. On September 25, though, it left the factory bound for Germany. At the orders of the Comte de Pradel, it was sent to Baron von Holzhausen of Frankfurt. The Comte (count) was minister to the royal household of Louis XVIII (1755–1824) and the gift was, in fact, sent in the king’s name. The gift was a royal "thank you" for a gift the Baron had previously given to Louis XVIII: a portrait of the king’s older brother, Louis XVI (1754–1793). The elder Louis was beheaded by revolutionaries in 1793. Its status as a gift from Louis XVIII attests to the high regard in which the déjeuner was held at the time of its creation.