Bottle cooler from the Louis XV service (seau à bouteille)

Art Historical Context

In the mid-eighteenth century, French court dining demanded vessels that could chill wine bottles at the table while matching the grandeur of royal porcelain services. Jean-Claude Duplessis, directing the Vincennes manufactory, developed forms and finishes that met this need for Louis XV. The saturated turquoise ground creates a sharp foil for the white reserves, where the gilding forms scrolling frames that appear to push the painted flowers and fruit forward. The two handles, modeled with acanthus leaves and finished in gold, break the curve of the body and draw attention to the contrast between cool enamel and warm metal. Made around 1753 of soft-paste porcelain decorated in polychrome enamels and gold, this bottle cooler now belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Look at the tiny bird suspended in flight within one reserve; its outstretched wings and precise coloring reveal how the painters used the white field to achieve effects of air and lightness against the dense blue surround.