Original series of 6 coffee cups in polychrome porcelain and gold

10 March 1906, Jacques and his family are enjoying teatime to discuss. He and his 6 children own several small mines in the north of France. Far from the wealthy families owning the largest collieries, they prefer to earn slightly less but provide a more decent life for their workers, as evidenced by their elegant, but not extravagant, tea set. As his eldest son explains the safety problems in the nearby mines, his butler arrives and whispers a message. James cannot bear the information, and drops his cup in surprise, which shatters on the floor. While the service will only consist of 6 cups forever, he has just learned that the greatest mining disaster had happened this morning, we were the day of the Courrières disaster.

Stories do not necessarily correspond to reality. They are only given to illustrate a possible context of origin.