The trembleuse is a “Kind of plate or tray with a hole in the middle, where the cup is inserted to serve the chocolate so that it does not spill.”[1] The trembleuses owe their name to the idea, which was widespread in the XVIII century, when its inventor was the Viceroy Marquis of Mancera.[2] This information is questionable, but there is no doubt that it is a Spanish-American invention, since this was where the chocolate ritual acquired greater importance. Although some pieces from the 17th century remain, trembleuses were especially popular in the 18th century.
This chinese porcelain trembleuse has a seashell shape, as is common in this type of 18th-century object. Due to the predominance of a soft pinkish tone, it corresponds to what is called the rose family outside of China. The original cup has been lost, but it was undoubtedly decorated to match the plate. The pictorial decoration of the piece is vegetal and is arranged around pink lotus stems on a white background and, in the center, the cup forms the shape of the flower, whose petals extend radially in all directions. The ornamental character of the piece is accentuated by the outer edge, which is painted gold, as well as a set of hanging flowers that unfold from the edge towards the center of the piece. These flowers are combined with decorative motifs in red and green that increase the chromatic richness of the set.
Although most of the surviving trembleuses are made of porcelain, some were made of silver. In fact, the shape of this piece is very similar to that of a silver trembleuse in the National Museum of Decorative Arts, attributed to the Spanish silversmith Juan de Ortega and dated ca. 1695-1703.[3] Many Chinese porcelain trembleuses from the 18th century have a similar shape, suggesting that the orders made to the Company of the Indies were based on these models.
Among the preserved rose-shaped Chinese porcelain trembleuses with a seashell shape, there are notable variations in ornamental design and palette.[4] However, the piece in the Amparo Museum corresponds to a very successful model in New Spain, since similar specimens are preserved both in the National Museum of the Viceroyalty,[5] and in the National Museum of History.[6] Trembleuses also circulated throughout the rest of Europe, due to the upper-class custom of drinking chocolate.[7]
[1] Diccionario de Autoridades, Tomo IV, Madrid: en la imprenta de Francisco del Hierro, impressor de la Real Academia Española, 1734. Found at https://apps2.rae.es/DA.html
[2] Ibidem.
[3]https://ceres.mcu.es/pages/Main?idt=27200&inventary=CE26365&table=FMUS&museum=MNAD y http://www.oadi.it/wp-content/s/2019/04/2013.pdf
[4]https://www.galerienicolasfournery.com/collection/a-large-chinese-iron-red-mancerina-qianlong-period/
[5] María Bonta de la Pezuela, Porcelana china de exportación para el mercado novohispano: la colección del Museo Nacional del Virreinato, México, UNAM-IIE, 2008, p. 213.
[6] Se puede ver una imagen de la obra en https://twitter.com/Museodehistoria/status/1271563060491288577
[7] Two very similar pieces that were in a Norwegian collection from 1970 onwards recently went on sale, suggesting that this design was especially liked in its time: https://www.bukowskis.com/en/auctions/649/1221-tremble-ett-par-kompaniporslin-qingdynastin-1700-tal
The trembleuse is a “Kind of plate or tray with a hole in the middle, where the cup is inserted to serve the chocolate so that it does not spill.”
[1] The trembleuses owe their name to the idea, which was widespread in the XVIII century, when its inventor was the Viceroy Marquis of Mancera.
[2] This information is questionable, but there is no doubt that it is a Spanish-American invention, since this was where the chocolate ritual acquired greater importance. Although some pieces from the 17th century remain, trembleuses were especially popular in the 18th century.
