Decorative Sèvres Porcelain Plate, Louis XVI And The Women Of The French Court, 19th Century

Provenance
Decorative Sèvres porcelain plate, presented in a large gilt frame. The decoration belongs to the French historicist taste of the 19th century, forming a portrait gallery associated with the royal court of France and the Bourbon monarchy. The central portrait depicts Louis XVI. Around him are several female figures identified by the painted inscriptions visible on the reverse or on the cartouches: Marie Antoinette, Marie Leszczynska, Madame de Pompadour, Madame du Barry, Madame de Montespan, the Princess of Lamballe, the Duchess of Polignac and Madame de Genlis. The subject should therefore not be understood strictly as “the women of Louis XVI”, but more accurately as a decorative historical gallery of important or emblematic female figures of the French court from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Description
The composition is centred on a circular medallion portraying Louis XVI in bust-length format, wearing richly coloured attire with gilt details and orders. Around the main portrait are eight smaller circular medallions, each containing a female portrait. The intense blue ground, close in spirit to the celebrated decorative blue associated with Sèvres porcelain, is richly embellished with gilded ornamentation, including scrolling foliage, ribbons, palmettes and symmetrical arabesques. The arrangement is refined and highly decorative, conceived as a miniature historical gallery. The plate is mounted within a square gilt frame of substantial size, decorated with raised ornament, foliate motifs, friezes and corner embellishments, giving the object the presence of a formal wall display piece.

Technique and materials
Hand-painted porcelain with polychrome portrait decoration and gilding on a blue ground. The reverse bears a blue mark, handwritten inscriptions identifying the figures, and an old label. The plate is mounted in a gilt wooden frame with rear wooden support and hanging system.

Dating
France, 19th century. The dating corresponds to the historicist taste of the period, the revival of royal and aristocratic portrait subjects, and the decorative presentation of porcelain plates in framed wall-mounted form.

Condition
Good overall decorative condition. Visible wear to the gilding, age-related traces, small losses and wear to the reverse rim of the porcelain. The gilt frame shows minor marks, rubbing and small visible restorations or retouching. Old rear mounting preserved.

Function and display
A decorative collector’s object intended for wall display, suitable for a classical interior, gallery wall, cabinet of curiosities or a collection devoted to French decorative arts.

Dimensions
plate diameter - 46 cm
frame - 64 x 64 cm