Plate ordered by William Beckford (England)

The French royal porcelain manufactory at Sèvres, outside Paris, drew nobility, royalty, and other wealthy patrons from across Europe with the rich colors and lavish gilding of its fashionable wares. This dish is part of a much larger dinner service commissioned from the factory. Unequivocal statements of luxury and sophistication, these services epitomize the prestige of French design in Europe during the 1700s.