Cup and saucer - With quotes from Thomas Moore

Amongst other factors, the renown and the aristocratic clientele of the Herend Porcelain Factory established in 1826 arose due to its ability to provide replacement pieces for dining sets. The accurate duplication of the form and decoration of objects made in famed European porcelain factories demanded a high level of skill and precision.

It can be hypothesized that this cup, which has a so-called gobelet litron cylindrical form of early Neo-Classical origin and a distinctive angular handle, as well as its accompanying saucer were made as a special commission, since this type is little known in the range of forms and models from Herend. Half of the body of the cup and the well of the saucer are covered in an orange-red fond, or uniform base color, which is enlivened by a pattern made of vertical orange, white, gray, and black stripes that runs around the upper section of the cup and the inner lip of the saucer. A twist to this elegant decoration made in the Art Deco style is provided by the inscriptions handwritten in black on the objects. It reads on the cup, “Man for his glory, To history flies” and on the saucer, “While womans [sic] bright story, Is told by her eyes.”

The source of the quoted lines is the poem “Desmond’s Song” (see here) by the Irish-born, English-language poet and author Thomas Moore (1779–1852) from his work Irish Melodies. This publication contained poems set to music and folk ballads and was issued between 1807 and 1834.

Decorative cups and pairs of cups that were meticulously painted and adorned with an inscription or quotation were a popular stylistic type in European porcelain ware from the Sorgenthal (1784-1805) and Niedermayer (1805-1827) periods of the Vienna Porcelain Factory.