"In June 1787, Louis XVI surprised Queen Marie Antoinette with a gift - The Laiterie at Rambouillet. Inspired by Rousseau and a desire to return to nature, fanciful dairies were very fashionable among the aristocracy of Europe during the 18th century, but this dairy would surpass all others. As remarkable as the paintings, sculpture and furnishings that adorned the building itself were the porcelain pieces designed to adorn the niches in the antechamber of the Laiterie of the Queen. Neoclassical in design, all of the pieces of the dairy service involved the storage and serving of milk and other dairy products, adhering to the theme of the pleasure dairy - a temple dedicated to milk." This tea service is known as a grisaille. "A grisaille is a monochrome painting technique executed in tones of gray, often produced to simulate relief sculpture. The interior of The Laiterie at Rambouillet was decorated with grisailles on the theme of the four seasons painted by Sauvage." Available from the The Dessert Course.
