RARE EGG CUP in PARIS PORCELAIN – DAGOTY MANUFACTORY – EMPIRE PERIOD

Of sculptural and figurative form, resting on a quadrangular base entirely decorated in gold, the stem is formed as a winged biscuit porcelain putto, modelled fully in the round, kneeling and leaning forward while supporting the cup — forming the egg cup — on his back.

The flared cup, with a slightly shaped rim, is decorated in relief with a repeating pattern of stylised leaves and palmettes. The interior is entirely covered with rich gilding. The whole rests on a rectangular base, likewise fully gilt.

Several years ago, I also owned an identical example bearing the Dagoty manufactory mark on the underside (see photographs). This mark formally confirmed its attribution to the Dagoty manufactory.Mark(s) : NONE,

Dimension(s) : H. 6.8 cm - L. 5.8 cm - W. 4.2 cm,

Condition(s) : PERFECT CONDITION,

Period : EMPIRE.

Egg cups dating from the Empire period (1804–1815) are VERY RARE, for several reasons relating to dining habits, manufacturing practices and the economic constraints of the period.

Soft-boiled eggs were not commonly served as an individual dish at the table during the Empire period. Eggs were more frequently used as ingredients in culinary preparations — pastries, sauces and omelettes — rather than eaten on their own. Unlike the 18th century, when table services became increasingly sophisticated and diversified, the Empire period placed greater emphasis on tableware inspired by Antiquity and characterised by more monumental and restrained forms.

Unlike tea and coffee services or sugar bowls, which were regularly produced by porcelain manufactories, the egg cup remained a relatively uncommon object of individual use. Few manufactories produced such pieces and, when they did — as in the case of Dagoty — they were primarily conceived as luxury objects.

This sculptural model, combining the whiteness of biscuit porcelain with rich gilding and a Neoclassical decorative vocabulary, perfectly illustrates the refined and prestigious production associated with the finest Parisian porcelain manufactories of the Empire period.