Paris, France
c. 1810-1825
#339

A porcelain teapot, made in Paris and retailed by the Marc Schoelcher Company. With heavy gilt decoration in the Empire style, this teapot (and its 18 matching cups and saucers) shows the influence of Napoleon I’s imperial ambitions on Parisian style in the early 1800s. This service was probably originally intended for use in France, then exported to the United States later in the 1800s as American demand for porcelain far outstripped the manufacturing capacity of factories in North America.