Breakfast at Court

Breakfasting was a high-status ceremonial occasion at Baroque courts. The court day began officially with the prince's 'lever', when he got up in the morning, attended by a select band of courtiers and other favourites. From the early 18th century, when coffee, tea or chocolate began to be served at court breakfasts - before that, the court breakfasted on morning soup washed down with alcoholic beverages - porcelain breakfast services became increasingly important."Breakfast at Court - A Century of Princely Porcelain" is published to celebrate the centenary of the Grand Ducal-Hessian Porcelain Collection in Darmstadt. The publication focuses on some seventy exhibits owned by the Grand Ducal family and by important public collections to survey the development of the breakfast service in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Figurines and large breakfast cups and saucers represent major European porcelain factories, such as Berlin, Meissen, Nymphenburg, Sevres, St Petersburg and Vienna. All works shown are presented in meticulously researched scholarly texts accompanied by superb colour illustrations. In addition, the publication goes into great detail on the significance of the three hot drinks tea, coffee and chocolate in Western culture.