Plate
ca. 1791
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Diameter: 9 5/8 in. (24.4 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
French, Sèvres
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Lewis Einstein, 1962
Accession Number
62.165.32
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant plate from the Sè Manufactory, dating to around 1791, exemplifies pinnacle of French porcelain artistry during the late 18th century. Produced the royal factory in Sèvres, Versailles, it is crafted from hard-paste porcelain—a durable, translucent material perfected by Europeans to rival prized Chinese imports. Measuring 9⅝ inches in diameter, luxurious dinnerware piece reflects the opulence of pre-Revolutionary France, when Sèvres wares graced the tables of nobility and symbolized refined taste. Adorned in the whimsical Chinoiserie style, the plate features motifs of birds and me...
About the Artist
Sèvres Manufactory · 1740–present
The Sèvres Manufactory, one of Europe's premier porcelain producers, was established in 1740 as the Manufacture de Vincennes under the patronage of Queen Marie Leszczyńska, who sought to rival Meissen and Chantilly porcelains with French soft-paste innovations. Initially a private venture, it relocated to Sèvres in 1756 in a purpose-built facility designed by architect Laurent Lindet near Madame d...