Covered Broth Bowl and Stand (Écuelle ronde et plateau ovale)

Birds were collected in all forms during the 18th century following an increased European interest in natural history. The birds on this bowl and stand were painted by François-Joseph Aloncle, one of the Sèvres porcelain factory’s principal bird painters. Small, two handled bowls like this one would hold broths or soups consumed by an individual during the toilette, a ritual of washing and dressing practiced by the 18th-century French elite.