This cup is the perfect example of the court's taste for the Middle Kingdom whose porcelains fascinated Europe. Louis XVI acquired it from the Sèvres factory in 1774 as well as a cabaret (breakfast set) with the same decor. This date coincides with the first hard porcelains produced by the factory, since the secret of "white gold", kaolin, had just been discovered in Limoges in 1768. The cup presents a refined decor of two scenes; an emperor visiting his garden in the spring, contemplating a cherry tree of which his servant bears the first flowers; a pipe smoker and his servant talking about meditation and rest. Small friezes of gold, myrtles and shell scrolls decorate the edges of the cup and the saucer.

Identical reissue of a cup from the Manufacture de Sèvres, 1774.