152 - SAINT-CLOUD

SAINT-CLOUD Earthenware water jug decorated in shades of blue with lambrequins and floral garlands framing a fleur-de-lis cross representing the coat of arms of the House of Saint-Cyr. Second half of the 18th century H: 20 cm Damaged, chips restored, handle reattached, pewter band on the handle; lid missing. The coat of arms, registered in the Armorial de France by d’Hozier, is described as “a raised cross of gold, strewn with fleurs-de-lis of the same color and surmounted by a royal crown, also of gold. The crossbar and the lower part of the shaft of the cross each terminate in a gold fleur-de-lis.” This water jug is of genuine historical interest due to the presence of the fleur-de-lis cross crowned with a royal crown, emblematic of the Royal House of Saint-Louis de Saint-Cyr. It is a rare example of the tableware used within this royal institution in the 18th century. The Royal House of Saint-Louis de Saint-Cyr, located near Versailles, was founded in 1686 by Louis XIV at the initiative of Madame de Maintenon. It was intended for the education of young women from noble families of modest means. The buildings were constructed under the direction of Jules Hardouin-Mansart. The institution had a distinctive emblem: a blue cross strewn with fleurs-de-lis, with fleur-de-lis motifs at its ends and surmounted by a royal crown. This “Cross of Saint-Cyr” appeared, in particular, on certain earthenware pieces specially made for the institution. Historical inventories attest to the importance of this tableware. The 1788 inventory lists plates, tureens, pots, bowls, and jugs in the refectory, as well as a large collection of earthenware in the apothecary’s storehouse. Related Works & Bibliography: A jug preserved in the collections of the National Ceramics Museum of Sèvres. Inv. MNC 21610 and reproduced in H-P Fourest & P.N. Saint-Fare-Garnot. Les pots de Pharmacie. Paris and the Île-de-France region. Ed. Roger Dacosta, 1981. Page 95 -Jean Hossard & Louis Cotinat. *Revue d’histoire de la pharmacie*, December 1986, No. 271, Page 269. -Jacques Poisson. *Revue d’histoire de la pharmacie*, “The Royal House of Saint-Cyr’s Apothecary.” Year 2000, No. 327, p. 395.