Cup and Saucer

This porcelain cup and saucer were made at the Dagoty Porcelain Factory in Paris in the early 19th century. The firm, founded by brothers Pierre-Louis and Etienne-Jean-Baptiste Dagoty, enjoyed the imperial patronage and protection of Empress Joséphine Bonaparte, the first wife of Napoleon I. The empress grew up on the Caribbean island of Martinique, where gold, shells, and coral were commonly used for personal adornment. This blend of the material worlds of Africans, Europeans, and Native peoples was influenced by French colonization in the Caribbean and the growing economy of enslaved people across the West Indies.