Plate from the Sudell Service
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain, dark blue ground, polychrome enamels, and gilding
Dimensions
2.7 × 24.5 cm (1 1/16 × 9 5/8 in.)
Classification
plate (general, dish)
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
135747
Art Historical Context
This exquisite plate, crafted in 1792 by the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, represents the pinnacle of French porcelain artistry during a turbulent era. As part of the Sudell Service, it showcases the manufactory’s mastery of soft-paste porcelain enhanced by a rich dark blue ground, vibrant polychrome enamels, and delicate gilding. Measuring just over nine inches across, the piece exemplifies the refined tableware produced for elite European clients, blending functionality with extraordinary decorative detail. Created at the historic Sèvres factory near Paris, the plate emerged in the wake ...
About the Artist
Manufacture nationale de Sèvres · 1763–1800
The Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, a premier French porcelain factory, flourished from 1763 to 1800 as the royal powerhouse of European ceramics, producing opulent soft- and hard-paste porcelain under the patronage of Louis XV and XVI. Originally founded in Vincennes in 1740 to rival Meissen and Chantilly, it relocated to Sèvres in 1756 and was fully acquired by the Crown in 1759, becoming the M...