Antique Coffee Cup – Manufacture Léon Sazerat – Limoges, c. 1890

White glazed hard-paste porcelain cup with a slightly flared cylindrical shape, enhanced by a sculpted handle with gold accents.

The particularly refined decoration combines delicate pale pink apple or cherry blossoms, foliage, and fine botanical branches painted in subtle shades. A spectacular gilded foliage branch in raised relief crosses the composition, giving the piece a striking sculptural quality. Small stylised flowers and seeds unfold across the white ground, while the upper rim, handle, and selected details are highlighted in gold.

The decoration reflects the late 19th-century taste for naturalistic botanical motifs, with a particularly evident Japonist influence in the treatment of the branches and flowers. The exceptional delicacy of the decoration and the raised gilded branch are the principal aesthetic features of this piece.

Good overall condition, with visible wear to the gilding on the rim and handle, consistent with the age of the piece. The raised gilding on the main branch, however, remains particularly well preserved.

Léon Sazerat (1831–1891) was one of the important porcelain manufacturers and ceramicists of 19th-century Limoges. His production was particularly distinguished by its decorative ambition and its interest in Japonism and Oriental influences. His manufactory was noted at the 1878 Paris Universal Exhibition, and Léon Sazerat received a distinction during Sadi Carnot's visit to Limoges in 1888.