Page 300 - Bonhams Catalog Cohen and Cohen Jan 24, 2023 New York

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A PAIR OF MINIATURE FAMILLE ROSE ‘LIGHTHOUSE’ The arrival in Europe of three non-alcoholic beverages, during the
CONICAL CHOCOLATE POTS AND COVERS 17th century, in time absolutely transformed the way upper and many
Qianlong period, circa 1755 middle-class people entertained in polite society. Chocolate, coffee
Each brightly enameled in colors with a large cluster of flowers in a and tea all shared the very practical benefits of being expensive,
slightly European manner on both sides of the spreading body, the caffeine-rich to stimulate the mind, and (initially at least) acceptable and
domed cover with smaller loose sprays, the body set with a looping enjoyed at the highest level of the social pyramids in Europe’s leading
spout and simple handle set at right-angles to each other. capitals. Moreover, these three beverages were particularly well suited
5 1/2in (14cm) high (2). to being served and consumed by ladies, who hitherto had nothing
suitably elegant and non-alcoholic to offer female guests; increasingly
$2,500 - 3,500 to be served in the ‘Withdrawing Room’, fast becoming a feature of
larger houses during the later 17th century, and essentially a fixed
乾隆時期 約1755年 迷你粉彩花卉紋《燈塔》形巧克力蓋壺一對 private space where ladies could relax while their husband’s talked
business or sport elsewhere. To enhance the pleasurable experience
Published: even further, all these beverages could be best served in thin,
Cohen & Cohen, Angels & Demonslayers, Hong Kong, 2012, p. 74, translucent Chinese porcelain tea bowls and saucers, arriving in larger
no. 47 and larger quantities from the 1680s onwards, and readily available to
purchase new at the retail stores (run by specialist dealers in imported
出版： luxuries) which it was socially quite permissible for the grandest ladies
倫敦Cohen & Cohen古董行，《Angels & Demonslayers》，香 to visit – a very significant consideration.
港，2011年，頁74，圖版編號47
The first ‘Chocolate House’ opened in London in 1657 when the drink
Miniature porcelain vessels such as these were often made as was introduced from the West Indies, originating in South America,
entertaining and decorative curiosities copying a Western protype, though it had been known in Spain since the early 16th century.
and occasionally as part of a small service for a child; but they had a ‘Chocolate houses’ preceded ‘coffee houses’ and they became very
very functional role too, forming part of an elegant small-sized solitaire fashionable places to be seen at; venues to share the latest gossip,
or cabaret set for ladies to breakfast from, following in the spirit of the discuss politics and latterly to browse he printed broadsheets which
better-known versions made at leading European porcelain factories because the particular appeal of the most popular coffee houses,
like Meissen and Sevres. tucked away in the crowded streets of the old City of London, or more
conveniently appointed in social centers throughout the emerging
The style of flowers here is not typically Chinese and it has been ‘Royal Quarter’ in London’s West End, notably in St James and
suggested that the decoration is probably copied fairly closely from a Mayfair.
European prototype, probably made at Meissen or Höchst. Chocolate was introduced to Germany in 1704 (and promptly taxed,
like tea) and it arrived in America in 1755 at around the time that these
The form is often called a chocolate pot, the handle and spout typically pots were made in China. The Catholic Church helpfully gave it even
set at an angle like this. The shape is novel but clearly copies European greater popularity by declaring that it could be consumed during a fast,
silver shapes, which were called ‘lighthouse’ pots in the 18th century. which added to its commercial success until Pope Clement was killed
The more conventional ones had a hinged final on the cover, because by poisoned chocolate in 1774.
chocolate served as a hot drink thickened significantly when allowed to
cool and had to be stirred to keep it relatively fluid. For a pair of larger ‘Lighthouse-form’ coffee pots and covers, see
Cohen & Cohen, Tiptoe through the Tulipieres, Hong Kong, 2008, p.
38, no. 25.
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