An Italian gold and tortoiseshell piqué cup, cover and saucer, Naples, probably circa 1760

Certain types of object decorated with piqué-work come up relatively often, and were evidently produced in Naples at greater scale – trays, snuff boxes and caskets are the most popular, and writing sets with inkwells are also more common. Covered cups, or cups and saucers, are far rarer though, with precious few in major collections or at auctions. A significant reference point, though, is the covered cup on a saucer acquired by Queen Mary and still in the Royal Collection (RCIN 22001). A comparison of the Queen Mary example with the present lot demonstrates that not only is the architectural ornament similar, but also the flattened top to the handle and even the style of finial (though narrower on the Queen Mary example). These are evidently from the same workshop, possibly even from the same set, though the decoration is somewhat richer on the present example. Other than that example, the only other comparable objects are covered cups without saucers or handles, such as the one offered at Sotheby’s London, 3 July 2012, lot 26 and the two pictured in A. Kugel, Piqué: Gold, Tortoiseshell and Mother-of-Pearl at the Court of Naples, Milan, 2018, p.266, cat.8 and 48.