Plate (Assiette à palmes) (1 of 102) (part of a service)
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
H. 1 in. (2.5 cm.); 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
37.20.135
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite plate, titled *Assiette à palmes (one of 102 pieces in a grand service), hails from the renowned Sèvres Manufactory France, created in 1780. Crafted from soft-paste porcelain—a, translucent material that French artisans perfected before the advent of harder formulas—this shallow dish (1 inch high, nearly 10 inches in diameter) exemplifies the luxury of late 18th-century European decorative arts. Sèvres, the royal porcelain factory near Versailles, supplied tableware to the French court, blending technical innovation with opulent design. The plate's surface bursts with hand-pain...
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...