AN IZNIK-STYLE CANTAGALLI POTTERY COFFEE SET
Florence, Italy, late 19th century, marked Ulisse Cantagalli

Comprising a coffee pot, of globular shape, resting on a short splayed foot, rising to a tubular neck with a cup-shaped top and circular rim, with a black inscription in French on the exterior, surmounted by a circular flat lid with a knob-like finial, with a curved spout and angular handle on the sides, enhanced with an applied green-painted intertwined pottery rope around the neck and spout, the full body painted in raised red, copper green, cobalt blue, and black on a white ground, the decoration inspired by Ottoman Iznik wares and consisting of a lush floral composition with blue tulips, stems of red and blue rosettes, saz leaves, and thick foliage, 22.5cm high; and matching coffee cups and saucers, possibly part of the same set, all featuring the maker's mark on the base (black rooster), the cups 5cm high, and the saucers 13.5cm diam.

Talleyrand's quote (Recette de Talleyrand pour le cafe) on the coffee pot reads as follow: Noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, doux comme l'amour (Dark like the Devil, Hot like Hell, Pure like an Angel and Sweet like Love).

Cantagalli creations originate from a pottery factory founded by Ulisse Cantagalli in Florence in 1878. Wares such as this set, which can be identified by the signature cockerel mark on the base, were inspired by 16th-century Iznik ceramics and provided a suitable 'local' solution to the Orientalist craze pervading Europe in the late 19th century.

Dimensions: the coffee pot 22.5cm high