Cup of Chocolate (La Tasse de chocolat)

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FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

Depicted at a café table in a moment of quiet reverie, Renoir's model invites us to pause and imagine the swirls of chocolate and the gentle clanging of the spoon. The artist's training as porcelain painter shines through in the decorative flourishes on the cups. King Louis XVI popularized drinking chocolate at the court of Versailles, and in 1732, the first chocolate factory opened in Paris. Once reserved as a treat for the elite, chocolate became available to the masses in the 19th century because of improved labor conditions, mechanical advancements, and more efficient production methods.

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