Museum quality cup and saucer, Dihl in Paris

This superb hemispherical teacup on a pedestal with a raised handle is a new shape from the Empire period. Of museum quality, the light blue and gold background, burnished to effect, reminds us of the quality of execution of the great services made by Dihl and Guérard for the Empress Josephine and her son Prince Eugène. Decorated with columns surmounted by swans, crowns, bands and torches, surrounded by palmettes. Delicately signed Dihl in gold on the cover.

Size: H 7cm with the handle (5 cm the cup only) – diameter of the saucer 13cm

Liter: In 1781, Christophe Dihl and Mr and Ms Antoine Guérhard create, under the patronage of the Duke of Angoulême, only 6 years old, a hard paste porcelain factory in the street of Bondi in Paris. Dihl brought his creative genius of sculptor and a large quantity of molds, the Guérhard brought the funds. In 1785, there were already 12 sculptors and 30 painters, and especially a lot of orders. In 1787, a judgement emancipated the manufactory which, from memory, equalled the manufacture of Sèvres so no one would want to see it disappear! Ms Guérhard even sent, out of diplomacy, a worker at Sèvres to modify the new oven! In 1789, the factory moved to rue du Temple. That year, Governor Morris, representing the United States in Paris, bought porcelain for George Washington. In 1793, the factory had 500 workers. Mr Guérhard dies. In 1797, Mrs. Guérhard and Mr. Dihl get married. Raw material of quality, state of the art oven; colours, shapes, sculptures (Lemire) and paintings (Le Guay) of perfect beauty, the manufacture is a reference. The mark ” Mre de Mgr/ le duc d’Angouleme/ à Paris  ” will be used until the French Revolution. Then the names of Dihl and / or Guérhard will be used. The Imperial era will mark the peak of success. However, the manufacture will go from the triumph of the 1806 exhibition to a decline in activity from 1810. However, from 1811 till 1813, Dihl and Guérhard will deliver to the Empress Josephine a prestigious service. Indeed, the empress chose to give her preference to Dihl and not to the Sèvres manufactory, this service includes 80 decorated plates known as “picture plates”, a table display, plates and shaped pieces decorated in solid gold. The richness of the decorations, as well as the exceptional quality of the gold, due to the mastery of the manufactory in this field, make this service one of the most prestigious orders of the Empire period, as well as one of the most expensive, its total cost amounting to 46,976 francs. The company dissolves in 1828 and Dihl dies in 1830.