Coffee cup and saucer, Makaïva wax print

“Mè ka yi kou bo lè lè ko wa?” asks this Fon fabric from Benin: who has gone to the afterlife and returned to tell what they saw? No one.

On a white background, a black-brown branch laden with mustard-yellow leaves and purple clusters winds around the cup and extends onto the saucer. The design flows in a single movement from the cup to the saucer, like a continuous line. This coffee cup and saucer are our tribute to the iconic “Makaïva” fabric.

🍃 One design, a thousand names

In the world of wax print, the same design can have several names. It is the market women and those who wear the fabrics who give them their names.

• Makaïva (Benin): in Fon, a fabric that poses a question: “Who has gone to the afterlife and returned to tell what they saw?” — the answer is: no one.

✨ What the design tells us

The design invites us to enjoy the present, since no one knows what lies beyond. It embodies a piece of popular wisdom, offering a reminder of this unanswered question. It is chosen to accompany a moment in the present, without promising anything about what comes next.

Our interpretation

The black-brown branch, mustard-yellow leaves, and purple clusters move from the fabric to the cup and saucer, with white providing a sense of space. The design winds around the cup and extends onto the saucer. This cup and saucer are decorated to order in our Alfortville workshop, with the design prepared, applied and glazed by hand before firing.

At your table

At coffee time, on a light linen tablecloth, the light brings out the mustard-yellow and purple of the branch. As a gift, this cup and saucer are for someone who loves objects that carry a question and a piece of popular wisdom to share in the present.

Features

• Contents: 1 coffee cup and saucer.
• Colors: mustard-yellow, black-brown, purple and white.
• Material: porcelain.
• Coffee cup capacity: 9 cl.
• Saucer dimensions: Ø 12 cm.
• Personalization: design, colors, first name, date or short message available upon request.
• In the event of breakage: individual replacement available, with the same design and dimensions, provided the shape remains in our catalog.
• In the same design: set of 6 round plates.

Write to us to personalize your cup and saucer: a first name, date or message can extend Makaïva’s question into the present.