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Descriptif du lot
This charming egg cup once formed part of a princely layette, which typically comprised approximately 75 marcs of silver-gilt and 80 marcs of silver and included objects intended for both the table and the bedchamber (Perrin, op. cit., 1993, p. 71).
Royal children, once weaned, were presented with an egg cup, as recorded in the Journal du Garde-Meuble and the État des Layettes et Renouvellements (A.N. O¹ 3310-3318 and A.N. O¹ 3276). Both Nicolas Besnier and Thomas Germain supplied egg cups for the Enfants de France, while François-Thomas Germain produced those intended for the King's grandchildren.
The present model appears to have been created by François-Thomas Germain for Madame Clotilde (Marie-Adélaïde Clotilde Xavière de France, 1759-1802), the eldest surviving daughter of Louis, Dauphin of France and granddaughter of Louis XV. Her egg cup, delivered on 27 August 1761, is described in the Journal du Garde-Meuble as being decorated with 'ears of wheat on the stem'.
Although the present egg cup corresponds closely to this description, its provenance suggests that it may instead have belonged to the Portuguese Royal family, possibly for Dom José, born in 1761, eldest child of Queen Dona Maria I of Portugal and King Dom Pedro III of Portugal. It would have been part of the service delivered by Germain between November 1757 and May 1765. Unfortunately, the objects intended for the King's and his family's personal use, as well as those destined for the toilette, were not included in the royal inventory, which only recorded the Germain deliveries made to the Belem Palace. Instead these objects were delivered on the King's order to the Royal Palace (Perrin, op. cit., 1993, p. 142).
The 1954 exhibition of Portuguese silver (op. cit.) included two egg cups: a gold example no. 449, now in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon, and a silver example no. 419, identified as the present piece. No other egg cup by François-Thomas Germain appears to be recorded, giving this rare object an iconic status.
Royal children, once weaned, were presented with an egg cup, as recorded in the Journal du Garde-Meuble and the État des Layettes et Renouvellements (A.N. O¹ 3310-3318 and A.N. O¹ 3276). Both Nicolas Besnier and Thomas Germain supplied egg cups for the Enfants de France, while François-Thomas Germain produced those intended for the King's grandchildren.
The present model appears to have been created by François-Thomas Germain for Madame Clotilde (Marie-Adélaïde Clotilde Xavière de France, 1759-1802), the eldest surviving daughter of Louis, Dauphin of France and granddaughter of Louis XV. Her egg cup, delivered on 27 August 1761, is described in the Journal du Garde-Meuble as being decorated with 'ears of wheat on the stem'.
Although the present egg cup corresponds closely to this description, its provenance suggests that it may instead have belonged to the Portuguese Royal family, possibly for Dom José, born in 1761, eldest child of Queen Dona Maria I of Portugal and King Dom Pedro III of Portugal. It would have been part of the service delivered by Germain between November 1757 and May 1765. Unfortunately, the objects intended for the King's and his family's personal use, as well as those destined for the toilette, were not included in the royal inventory, which only recorded the Germain deliveries made to the Belem Palace. Instead these objects were delivered on the King's order to the Royal Palace (Perrin, op. cit., 1993, p. 142).
The 1954 exhibition of Portuguese silver (op. cit.) included two egg cups: a gold example no. 449, now in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon, and a silver example no. 419, identified as the present piece. No other egg cup by François-Thomas Germain appears to be recorded, giving this rare object an iconic status.