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
37.20.152
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Plate (Assiette àmes)*, one of 102 pieces from lavish dinner service, was crafted by the Sèvres Manufactory in 0. Made of soft-paste porcelain—a material known for its creamy translucency and fine workability—this shallow dish stands just 1 inch high and 9¾ inches across, embodying the refined elegance of French tableware at the twilight of the Ancien Rég. Sèvres, the royal porcelain factory established under Louis XV, produced such services for nobility and diplomats, rivaling the finest European ceramics like Meissen. The *assiette à palmes* shape, with its distinctive palm-i...
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...