Plate (one of two)

Art Historical Context

This exquisite plate, one of a pair crafted around 1760 by the renownedissen Manufactory in, exemplifies the pinnacle of 18th-century European porcelain. Produced under the direction of modeler Gottfried Bernhard Göz and Franz Ferdinand Mayer, it delicate depictions of men and women, likely in a Rococo scene of gallant figures amid floral motifs—a hallmark of Meissen's opulent style. With a diameter of 8 7/8 inches, its hard-paste porcelain body gleams with the translucency and durability that revolutionized the medium. Meissen, founded in 1710 as Europe's first hard-paste porcelain factory, broke China's centuries-long monopoly by replicating the material's strength and finesse. By the 1760s, under royal patronage, the manufactory produced luxury tableware for Europe's elite, blending technical innovation with playful, asymmetrical designs inspired by nature and courtly life. The intricate gilding and hand-painted enamels on this plate showcase the meticulous labor of skilled artisans, who fired pieces multiple times to achieve vibrant, enduring colors. A generous gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1975, this plate invites visitors to appreciate how porcelain transcended utility to become a canvas for cultural prestige, reflecting the Enlightenment era's fascination with refinement and exoticism.

About the Artist

Franz Ferdinand Mayer|Meissen Manufactory|Gottfried Bernhard Göz (German| ) · 1710 |1700 –9999 |1800

German, 1710–present|