Exhibition labels & didactics - National Gallery of Victoria

MANUFACTURE DE NAST, Paris
manufacturer
France 1783–1835
Posset cup in its presentation box
Écuelle dans son écrin
c. 1810–15
porcelain (hard-paste); leather and velvet box
Fondation Napoléon, Paris
Donation Lapeyre inv. 123
The Nast porcelain manufactory was
established in Paris in 1783 by the Austrian
Jean-Népomucène-Hermann Nast.
The factory had a reputation for the quality
of its porcelains, whose whiteness and
strength were exceptional. This small
two-handled cup known as an écuelle was
designed to hold broth or soup. It was a
traditional present for young women who had
just given birth. The decoration blends Greek
and Egyptian-inspired motifs, with handles
ending in Egyptian heads and, on the belly,
medallions containing antique profile
portraits set against a blue background.
155
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