423 - RARE “COBEA”-SHAPED CUP AND SAUCER IN SÈVRES PORCELAIN WITH NATURALISTIC DECOR

RARE “COBEA”-SHAPED CUP AND SAUCER IN SÈVRES PORCELAIN WITH NATURALISTIC DECOR “Cobea”-shaped cup and saucer in hard porcelain, with polychrome decoration in shades of purple and green accented with gold, imitating a cobea flower, with a gold border; the saucer is similarly decorated. Good overall condition, with minimal wear. Royal Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, Louis XVIII period, circa 1816–1820. Mark bearing the cipher of Louis XVIII centered within a fleur-de-lis, with “Sèvres” inscribed in blue in the center beneath the glaze; mark of the gilder Pierre-Louis Micaud (1795–1834), “Mc 1 juillet,” in gold. H. 6 x D. 9 cm (cup). D. 13 cm (saucer). Related works - A pair of “cobea” cups and their saucers, Christie’s auction, New York, “Property from the Estate of Mrs. Charles W. Engelhard,” March 18, 2005, lot 275 (sold for $14,400). - A “cobea” cup and saucer is held at the Manufacture et Musée Nationaux de Sèvres (inv. 2024.3.1.1 and 2024.3.1.2). - A pair of “Cobea” cups and saucers, sold in Berlin at Lempertz, “The Twinight Collection I,” November 7, 2018, lot 67 (sold for €3,750). History The “Cobea” cup is one of the most original designs from the Imperial Sèvres Manufactory, founded under Napoleon I in 1813 under the direction of Alexandre Brongniart. It is distinguished by its shape, entirely inspired by a flower, and by its naturalistic decoration, which was particularly innovative for the time. The cup takes its name from “Cobaea scandens,” or climbing cobea, a Mexican plant whose flowers are shaped like flared bells. The design incorporates the characteristics of this flower: a cup with spreading petals, green and purplish hues, and sometimes a small butterfly-shaped handle—which is not the case here. The original preparatory drawing, preserved in the Sèvres archives, may be by Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart (1739–1813). The manufactory also attributes the creation of the model to Jean-Marie-Ferdinand Régnier (1789–1848), a modeler and sculptor active at Sèvres from 1812 to 1848. The Cobea cup is a particularly early example of naturalistic porcelain. It departs from the neoclassical style that dominated production during the Imperial era, anticipating certain formal innovations of Art Nouveau.