The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 10, 2026

A white soft-paste porcelain vessel with a cylindrical body and footed base features two scrolled handles with gold and blue feather-like detailing. Horizontal blue bands with small gilded leaf shapes encircle the rim and base. Delicate painted floral bouquets in purple, orange, and blue decorate the white exterior. The handles flare out from each side, ending in small scrolls.

Glass Cooler (Seau à verre ordinaire)

1759–60
manufacturer

Sèvres Porcelain Factory

(French, est. 1756)
France, Sèvres
soft-paste porcelain with enamel and gilt decoration
Overall: 11.8 cm (4 5/8 in.)
Bequest of Mrs. Everett R. Castle 1972.180
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

A bottle cooler of this design was first purchased in 1752 by Madame de Pompadour, great patron of the Sèvres porcelain factory and official mistress of French King Louis XV.

Description

In 18th-century France, wine was traditionally drunk chilled. This object would have held crushed ice or ice water to chill small bottles or glasses. Shifts in the strict dining protocol of 18th-century France under Louis XV meant that bottle coolers would have been placed within reach of the diners, rather than their traditional placement on the side board.
  • Mrs. Everett R. Castle, Cleveland, Ohio.
  • Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973).
  • {{cite web|title=Glass Cooler (Seau à verre ordinaire)|url=false|author=Sèvres Porcelain Factory|year=1759–60|access-date=10 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1972.180