Saucer 1724–25 Meissen Manufactory German The elaborate coat of arms and monogram of Victor Amadeus II (1666–1732), king of Sardinia, serve as the primary decoration of this beaker and saucer (, .76), which belong to a tea and chocolate service presented as a gift by August II (1670–1733), commonly known as Augustus the Strong, elector of Saxony, king of Poland, in 1725. The porcelain service was part of a much larger diplomatic gift sent to Victor Amadeus II by the Saxon court, and due to its artistic and diplomatic significance, it has been well documented.[1] This beaker and saucer

Saucer 1724–25 Meissen Manufactory German The elaborate coat of arms and monogram of Victor Amadeus II (1666–1732), king of Sardinia, serve as the primary decoration of this beaker and saucer (, .76), which belong to a tea and chocolate service presented as a gift by August II (1670–1733), commonly known as Augustus the Strong, elector of Saxony, king of Poland, in 1725. The porcelain service was part of a much larger diplomatic gift sent to Victor Amadeus II by the Saxon court, and due to its artistic and diplomatic significance, it has been well documented.[1] This beaker and saucer belong to one of nine tea, coffee, and chocolate services that Victor Amadeus II received, and the gift included two small services for dining, five garnitures of vases, and a variety of other pieces of Meissen porcelain, some of which were part of the Saxon royal collections but nevertheless were selected to be presented to the Sardinian king.[2] As has been noted by Maureen Cassidy-Geiger, the presentation of Meissen porcelain by Augustus to another royal court indicates the status accorded to the factory’s products by 1725, when Meissen had yet to reach its maturity.[3] The components of this tea and chocolate service are among the earliest pieces produced at Meissen on which the armorial decoration is given such prominence.[4] Most of the saucer well is occupied by the arms of Victor Amadeus II, which are surmounted by a crown and supported on either side by lions resting on military trophies. The beaker is painted with the king’s monogram framed by palm fronds against a shield and a crown above. Both the coat of arms and the monogram are painted with a degree of detail and painterly elaboration that indicates the armorials were valued for their decorative potential in addition to their heraldic significance. The beaker’s secondary decoration on the side opposite the monogram consists of a scene with three Chinese men and a container of lobsters. The central fi

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