LALANNE François-Xavier

LALANNE François-Xavier

François-Xavier Lalanne (1927–2008)

Coffee Service - Model: “Les Silhouettes”
Edition: Artcurial Paris, Circa 1990

Eight coffee cups and eight matching saucers in Limoges porcelain.

A rare and highly poetic coffee service entitled “Les Silhouettes”, created by François-Xavier Lalanne and produced by Artcurial Paris circa 1990. Executed in fine Limoges porcelain, this elegant and whimsical ensemble perfectly reflects Lalanne’s celebrated universe, where nature, animals, and sculpture merge into refined functional art.
The decoration features a striking continuous frieze rendered in black silhouette against a luminous white porcelain ground, enhanced by vivid cobalt-blue borders. The composition depicts an imaginary landscape populated with stylized trees, vegetal forms, and exotic animals including giraffes, elephants, rhinoceroses, and other fauna, creating a dreamlike African-inspired panorama that encircles each cup. The contrast between the delicate porcelain and the graphic black silhouettes gives the service a remarkably modern and timeless aesthetic.
This Artcurial edition demonstrates Lalanne’s unique ability to transform everyday objects into sculptural works of art imbued with humor, elegance, and fantasy. Both sophisticated and playful, the service embodies the poetic spirit that made François-Xavier Lalanne one of the most important French decorative artists of the 20th century.
The service comprises eight coffee cups and eight matching saucers, each example monogrammed “FXL,” signed “F.X. Lalanne,” titled “Les Silhouettes,” and bearing the Artcurial Paris editor’s mark on the underside.

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

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)