LALANNE François-Xavier

LALANNE François-Xavier

Francois Xavier LALANNE (1927–2008)

Coffee Service – Model: Les Silhouettes
Edition: Artcurial Paris, circa 1990

Eight coffee cups and eight matching saucers in Limoges porcelain

This rare and highly poetic coffee service, entitled Les Silhouettes, was conceived by Francois Xavier Lalanne and published by Artcurial Paris around 1990. Executed in the finest Limoges porcelain, the complete service comprises eight coffee cups and eight matching saucers and beautifully illustrates Lalanne's singular artistic vision, in which sculpture, nature, and everyday life are seamlessly united. Like many of his most celebrated creations, Les Silhouettes transforms a functional object into a work of art, inviting its owner to experience beauty, imagination, and craftsmanship in the most ordinary of rituals.

The decoration unfolds as a continuous panoramic frieze rendered in elegant black silhouettes against a brilliant white porcelain ground, framed by rich cobalt-blue borders. Throughout the composition, stylized trees, luxuriant vegetation, and an enchanting procession of exotic animals—including giraffes, elephants, rhinoceroses, antelopes, and birds—create an imaginary landscape inspired by the African savannah. The refined graphic treatment recalls the timeless beauty of shadow theatre and paper cut-outs, while the crisp contrast between black and white lends the service a strikingly modern visual language. Every cup becomes a miniature work of art, encouraging the eye to follow the uninterrupted narrative as it wraps gracefully around the porcelain.

Francois Xavier Lalanne is internationally celebrated for his ability to blur the boundaries between sculpture and decorative arts. Together with Claude Lalanne, he formed one of the most influential artistic partnerships of the twentieth century, creating works that combined extraordinary craftsmanship with humor, poetry, and a profound fascination with the natural world. While best known for his monumental sheep, rhinoceroses, monkeys, and other sculptural furniture, Lalanne approached every medium with the same inventive spirit, whether working in bronze, porcelain, glass, or precious metals.

Each cup and saucer in this rare Artcurial edition is monogrammed "FXL," signed "F.X. Lalanne," titled "Les Silhouettes", and bears the Artcurial Paris editor's mark on the underside, confirming the authenticity and prestige of the edition. Produced in relatively limited numbers, complete services are seldom encountered on the market, making surviving examples particularly desirable.

Combining the exceptional quality of Limoges porcelain with Lalanne's unmistakable artistic vocabulary, Les Silhouettes stands as one of the most elegant and imaginative porcelain services of the late twentieth century. Equally suited to a distinguished collection of modern design or to everyday use, it embodies the rare ability to elevate a simple coffee service into an enduring work of French decorative art.

Literature: Les Lalanne: Les Silhouettes et Les Phagocytes, Cahiers d'Artcurial, no. 1, Paris, 1991.

Other Francois Xavier LALANNE works in our collection.

Price : Upon Request

Materials / Techniques: Porcelain

Condition: Excellent original condition

Measurements: Cup: H.5.8 × D.5.5 × W.8 cm (H.2"2/8 × D.2"1/8 × W.3"1/8 in.)
Saucer: H.2.2 × Diam.11.5 cm (H.7/8 × Diam.4"1/2 in.)
Each cup & saucer: H.7 x Diam.11.5 cm ( H.2"3/4 x Diam.4"1/2 in)