When Marie Leszczynska had given birth to an Dauphin in 1729 Louis XV was so excited that he ordered this porcelain service for his Queen - after all she had performed her greatest duty. With her new gift the Queen could enjoy chocolate, tea and coffee which were all considered to be exotic and therefore in fashion. The wooden chest contained and still contains:
- A coffee caddy
- A tea caddy
- A spice box (spices were often put in chocolate)
- A chocolate pot on a lamp stand
- A cream-jug shaped as a sea-shell
- A tea strainer
- A coffee grinder
- A bell, a funnel
- A long-handled spoon
- Sugar tongs
These pieces were the work of Henry-Nicolas Cousinet. Some of the pieces has a clear reference to the recent birth of an heir to the throne: the chocolate pot's three legs are dolphins and some of the other pieces also have the motif of a dolphin somewhere on them.
Also the King had ordered separate pieces of porcelain to accompany the chic gift: two tea bowls with matching saucers, a sugar bowl, a teapot, two cups and two stands. All this were in gilded silver.
These pieces has different origins; some are Chinese, others Japanese and others again from Saxony. The porcelain pieces are all inspired by the Far East with Chinese motifs.
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| The porcelain set |
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| Chocolate pot with the three dolphin legs |
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