A rare Sèvres ice cup tray or stand (soucoupe à pied) from the Marquis de Durfort service, c.1766,

A rare Sèvres ice cup tray or stand (soucoupe à pied) from the Marquis de Durfort service, c.1766, richly decorated with frize colorée, with harebell flowers in green, blue and gilt around garlands of berried laurel and polychrome flowers, with a central roundel of four pink shells within a leaf border, raised on a low shaped foot, blue interlaced Ls mark enclosing date letter N, 22.5cm.

Believed to be from the service acquired by Emeric-Joseph, marquis de Durfort-Civrac . The Marquis de Durfort was French ambassador to Venice between 1755 and 1760, to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1760 and between 1762 and 1765, and to Austria between 1766 and 1770. He was responsible for negotiating the marriage of the future King Louis XVI to Marie Antoinette. Cf. David Peters, Sèvres Plates and Services of the 18th Century, Vol. II, no. 66-5, for a discussion of the service, which included four soucoupes à pied.