Sugar spoon 1745 - 1765

This elegant porcelain sugar spoon was made by the Mennecy factory in France, though the date of its creation is unknown. Sugar spoons like this emerged in the 18th century. At the time, refined sugar was an expensive commodity. Owning specialized implements for using sugar, like this spoon, would have been a signifier of wealth and social status. Mennecy was one of the first French porcelain factories, established through the patronage of Louis-François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy. The factory was intended as a rival to other famous porcelain manufacturers like those in Sèvres. However, its distance from Paris meant that it was harder to attract the best artists and craftspeople. Art history can help us understand the changing patterns of social life. Old invoices, workshop inventories, and pattern books can all shed light on the economic and social conditions that shaped the making of an object like this.