Do you remember a row of tiny, too-fancy-to-touch cups behind the glass of your grandmother's china cabinet? Chances are some of them were demitasse cups, and some were cabinet cups that were never meant to be used at all.
Little cups are one of the easiest and most rewarding things to collect. They don't take much room, they come in every style from plain white to dripping with gold, and many of them carry a maker's mark that tells you where, and sometimes when, they were made. Here's what demitasse and cabinet cups are, how to tell them apart and what to look for when you turn one over.
We have 5 demitasse and cabinet cups in the shop right now, from a Kutani style lidded cup at $21 to an antique Coalport cup with raised gold at $75.
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What a demitasse cup is
Demitasse is French for "half cup." A demitasse cup holds about 2 to 3 ounces, roughly half of an ordinary coffee cup, and it was made for small servings of strong coffee. Today we'd call it an espresso cup. In Victorian and Edwardian homes, little cups of strong coffee were often served after a formal dinner, so many demitasse sets were made to match fine china, with a saucer to go with each cup.
Demitasse cups come in all kinds of shapes: straight-sided cans, footed cups standing on three little feet, lobed or octagonal cups, and cups with fancy ring or scroll handles. Small Japanese tea cups with lids, made for green tea, are a cousin worth knowing too. They're a similar size, but they were made for tea rather than coffee.
What a cabinet cup is
A cabinet cup is a cup made mainly for display. Cabinet cups were popular through the 1800s and into the early 1900s, and they were where factories showed off: rich ground colors, painted portraits and courting scenes, raised gold, jeweling and fully gilded interiors. Many were given as gifts and went straight into the china cabinet, which is why so many survive in good shape.
The line between the two is blurry. A lot of demitasse cups were so beautifully decorated that they were treated as cabinet cups, and collectors often use the words together. A good rule of thumb: if a little cup is heavy with gold and decoration and shows very little wear inside, it probably spent its life on a shelf.
Makers and marks
Turning a cup over is half the fun. Here are a few marks you may come across:
- Coalport (England): a crown with "Coalport" and "A.D. 1750." The 1750 is a claimed founding date, not when your cup was made. Whether "England" appears above the crown helps narrow the date. Our guide on how to date Coalport porcelain by its marks walks through it step by step.
- Rosenthal (Germany): founded by Philipp Rosenthal in Selb, Bavaria. Some pieces are marked for the Kunstabteilung, the company's art department, which made its more decorative work.
- Limoges (France): many small, gilded cups and saucers came from the porcelain factories of Limoges. Our Limoges porcelain guide covers the marks and makers.
- Souvenir china: cups printed with a city view, a palace or a landmark were sold to travelers in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The scene itself can be a dating clue, since buildings change, burn or come down.
- Japanese porcelain: look for "Nippon," "Japan," "Made in Japan" or a hand-painted mark. Kutani-style pieces are known for iron red and gold decoration.
- Unmarked cups: plenty of lovely antique cups have no mark at all, or only a retailer's mark from the shop that sold them. Style, shape and gilding are your clues then.
If you're new to reading the bottoms of things, start with our beginner's guide to reading pottery and porcelain marks.
See it in person: little cups in the shop
Each one is a single piece, so when it's gone, it's gone.
How to identify a good little cup
- Size: a demitasse cup is usually about 2 to 2 1/2 inches tall. Anything much bigger is likely a tea or coffee cup.
- Translucency: hold porcelain up to the light. Thin, fine porcelain lets light glow through. Thicker earthenware does not.
- Raised gold: run a fingertip over the decoration. Raised gold paste and jeweling you can feel were done by hand and point to finer work.
- Gilt interior: a fully gold-lined inside is a classic cabinet cup touch.
- Pattern numbers: painted numbers on the base, often in gold or red, help match a cup to its pattern.
- Wear: look at the rim, handle and foot. Rubbed gold there is normal. Heavy wear inside suggests a cup that was used often.
- Crazing: a fine web of lines in the glaze is common on older porcelain. It's in the glaze surface, not a crack.
Look-alikes and reproductions
Small cups have been made in huge numbers for a long time, so a few things are worth keeping in mind. Decal decoration (a printed transfer) is flat and smooth, while hand painting and raised gold have texture you can see and feel. Some later pieces borrow old-looking marks, like crowns, shields or crossed swords, so look at the quality of the cup as well as the mark. And remember that a missing saucer is very common. A cup on its own is still collectible, it just isn't a set.
Caring for little cups
Hand wash gilded porcelain in lukewarm water with a little mild dish soap, and dry it right away with a soft towel. Never put gold-trimmed cups in the dishwasher or the microwave. The gold wears away in the dishwasher, and metal trim can spark in the microwave. Pad your shelves, and don't stack cups inside one another. For more, see our guide to cleaning and caring for vintage finds.
Demitasse and cabinet cups in the shop
- Rosenthal cobalt and gold octagonal demitasse cup and saucer: deep cobalt blue with gold-leaf scenic panels, marked for the Kunstabteilung in Selb, Germany.
- Antique Coalport demitasse cup, pattern T122: ivory with raised gold garlands and stars, a gilt interior and a gold ring handle. Its crown mark has no "England," which points to the 1880s.
- Antique German souvenir demitasse cup and saucer: a view of the Berlin Palace and its bridge in the bottom of the cup, with a cobalt and gold leaf border and three gold feet.
- Lot of 6 antique miniature porcelain cups: courting scenes, a portrait cup, bamboo and birds, and a blue and white wildcard. A ready-made start to a collection.
- Vintage Japanese lidded tea cup, Kutani style: a red and gold peacock among peonies, with a matching lid to keep the tea warm.
Every piece is the only one we have.
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Vintage kitchen & dining →Vintage home decor →Gift guide →
Keep reading: How to Date Coalport Porcelain · What Is Limoges Porcelain? · Odd Victorian Tableware
Did someone in your family keep a shelf of little cups? Do you remember which one was your favorite, or whether anyone ever actually drank from them? Tell us in the comments.