Antique Theodore Haviland Limoges Teacup and Saucer, Pink Floral, Gold Van Heusen Albany NY

Antique Theodore Haviland Limoges France teacup and saucer featuring delicate pink floral garlands with green leaves and extensive gold decoration. The floral design circles both the inside and outside of the teacup and continues around the scalloped saucer. Gold accents decorate the cup rim, handle and floral border as well as the shaped edge of the saucer.

The teacup is marked:
Théodore Haviland
Limoges
FRANCE
Patent applied for

The saucer carries the Theodore Haviland Limoges France mark along with the retailer's mark:
The Van Heusen-Charles Co.
Albany, N.Y.
The Van Heusen-Charles Company was an Albany retailer of fine china and household goods, giving this French Limoges set an interesting connection to early 20th-century New York retail history.

Size:
Cup:
1¼ inches in height
3¾ inches in diameter
Saucer:
5½ inches in diameter

Condition:
Excellent antique condition with no chips, cracks or crazing. The floral decoration remains clear and attractive. The gold decoration shows age-related wear, particularly along portions of the rims and decorative bands, consistent with use and age. Please see photographs for detail.
Dating to approximately the early 1900s through the 1920s, this cup and saucer is now about a century old.

History
Theodore Haviland was part of the prominent Haviland family associated with the development of Limoges porcelain for the American market during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Theodore was the son of David Haviland, founder of Haviland & Co. After working in the family business, Theodore established his own porcelain company in Limoges during the 1890s. Theodore Haviland porcelain became particularly successful in the United States, where French-made dinnerware and decorative porcelain were sold through American department stores, jewelers and specialty china retailers. The “Patent applied for” wording found on this cup belongs to Theodore Haviland markings used during the early decades of the 20th century. Based upon the backstamp and style, this set dates approximately 1903 through the 1920s.

The saucer provides another piece of its history through the additional mark of The Van Heusen-Charles Co., Albany, New York. The company was an Albany retailer that sold fine china and household wares. Retailer marks such as this were placed on imported porcelain sold through particular American merchants and provide a record of where a piece was originally marketed. Although made in Limoges, France, this particular cup and saucer was therefore produced for the American market and retailed in Albany, New York. More than a century later, the combination of its Theodore Haviland Limoges origin, early backstamp and Albany retailer mark preserves an interesting connection between French porcelain manufacture and early New York retail history.

For more teacups and coffee cups please click here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MountainAireVintage?section_id=16315383&ref=shopsection_leftnav_9

MountainAireVintage (7526)
©For People Who Have A Deep Love Of Things Vintage