Plate (Assiette à palmes) (1 of 102) (part of a service)
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Diam. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm.)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
French, Sèvres
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Emma T. Gary, 1934
Accession Number
37.20.202
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant plate, titled *Assiette à palmes* and one of 102 pieces in a grand service, exemplifies the pinnacle of 18th-century French porcelain. Produced in 1772 by the Sèvres Manuf—the royal porcelain works near Versailles—and painted by Charles-Louis Méreaud, it measures 9 3/4 inches in. Crafted from soft-paste porcelain, a silky material prized for its translucency and fine detail before hard-paste techniques dominated, the plate likely features delicate floral motifs, evoking the opulent table settings of the French aristocracy under Louis XV. Sèvres porcelain represented France's cult...
About the Artist
Sèvres Manufactory|Charles-Louis Méreaud · 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...