A PAIR OF MINIATURE FAMILLE ROSE 'LIGHTHOUSE' CONICAL CHOCOLATE POTS AND COVERS Qianlong period, circa 1755 Each brightly enameled in colors with a large cluster of flowers in a slightly European manner on both sides of the spreading body, the domed cover with smaller loose sprays, the body set with a looping spout and simple handle set at right-angles to each other. 5 1/2in (14cm) high (2). Footnotes: 乾隆時期 約1755年 迷你粉彩花卉紋《燈塔》形巧克力蓋壺一對 Published Cohen & Cohen, Angels & Demonslayers, Hong Kong, 2012, p. 74, no. 47 出版： 倫敦Cohen & Cohen古董行，《Angels & Demonslayers》，香港，2011年，頁74，圖版編號47 Miniature porcelain vessels such as these were often made as entertaining and decorative curiosities copying a Western protype, and occasionally as part of a small service for a child; but they had a very functional role too, forming part of an elegant small-sized solitaire or cabaret set for ladies to breakfast from, following in the spirit of the better-known versions made at leading European porcelain factories like Meissen and Sevres. The style of flowers here is not typically Chinese and it has been suggested that the decoration is probably copied fairly closely from a European prototype, probably made at Meissen or Höchst. The form is often called a chocolate pot, the handle and spout typically set at an angle like this. The shape is novel but clearly copies European silver shapes, which were called 'lighthouse' pots in the 18th century. The more conventional ones had a hinged final on the cover, because chocolate served as a hot drink thickened significantly when allowed to cool and had to be stirred to keep it relatively fluid. The arrival in Europe of three non-alcoholic beverages, during the 17th century, in time absolutely transformed the way upper and many middle-class people entertained in polite society. Chocolate, coffee and tea all shared the very practical benefits of being expensive, caffeine-rich to stimulate the mind, and (initially at least) acceptable and enjoyed at the highest level of the social pyramids in Europe's leading capitals. Moreover, these three beverages were particularly well suited to being served and consumed by ladies, who hitherto had nothing suitably elegant and non-alcoholic to offer female guests; increasingly to be served in the 'Withdrawing Room', fast becoming a feature of larger houses during the later 17th century, and essentially a fixed private space where ladies could relax while their husband's talked business or sport elsewhere. To enhance the pleasurable experience even further, all these beverages could be best served in thin, translucent Chinese porcelain tea bowls and saucers, arriving in larger and larger quantities from the 1680s onwards, and readily available to purchase new at the retail stores (run by specialist dealers in imported luxuries) which it was socially quite permissible for the grandest ladies to visit – a very significant consideration. The first 'Chocolate House' opened in London in 1657 when the drink was introduced from the West Indies, originating in South America, though it had been known in Spain since the early 16th century. 'Chocolate houses' preceded 'coffee houses' and they became very fashionable places to be seen at; venues to share the latest gossip, discuss politics and latterly to browse he printed broadsheets which because the particular appeal of the most popular coffee houses, tucked away in the crowded streets of the old City of London, or more conveniently appointed in social centers throughout the emerging 'Royal Quarter' in London's West End, notably in St James and Mayfair. Chocolate was introduced to Germany in 1704 (and promptly taxed, like tea) and it arrived in America in 1755 at around the time that these pots were made in China. The Catholic Church helpfully gave it even greater popularity by declaring that it could be consumed during a fast, which added to its commercial success until Pope Clement was killed by poisoned chocolate in 1774. For a pair of larger 'Lighthouse-form' coffee pots and covers, see Cohen & Cohen, Tiptoe through the Tulipieres, Hong Kong, 2008, p. 38, no. 25.