Meissen Rococo Figural Sweetmeat Dish Seated Maiden with Twin Floral Baskets

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Meissen Rococo Figural Sweetmeat Dish with Seated Maiden and Twin Floral Baskets, Germany, Circa 1880

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Meissen Rococo Figural Sweetmeat Dish with Seated Maiden and Twin Floral Baskets. An elegant example of late nineteenth-century Meissen porcelain, this charming centerpiece combines sculptural modeling with finely painted decoration in the Rococo Revival taste. The composition depicts a young maiden gracefully seated between two woven baskets, delicately holding their rope-twist handles while presenting a bouquet of hand-modeled flowers. The underside bears a faint underglaze blue crossed swords mark together with impressed factory numerals.

The young woman is dressed in fashionable eighteenth-century attire, inspired by the courtly costume of the Rococo period. She wears a fitted lavender bodice with a turquoise laced stomacher, a voluminous floral-sprigged skirt, blue buckle shoes, and softly modeled white sleeves. Her coiffure is arranged in an elegant chignon, reflecting aristocratic fashions popular during the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI. Such nostalgic Rococo subjects were especially favored by Meissen during the nineteenth century as collectors rediscovered the refinement of eighteenth-century European porcelain.

The pair of oval baskets is beautifully painted with colorful Deutsche Blumen floral sprays and scattered insects, symbolic of nature's abundance and the fleeting beauty of spring. Rich hand-applied gilding outlines each rim and accentuates the molded Rococo scrollwork base painted in soft mint green, blush pink, and gold. The combination of sculptural figure painting, floral decoration, and gilding showcases the exceptional craftsmanship for which Meissen became internationally renowned.

Originally intended as a sweetmeat or bonbon server, the twin baskets would have held candied fruits, sugared almonds, chocolates, or petits fours during formal entertaining. Today, the piece lends itself equally well as a centerpiece, vide-poche, jewelry stand, or elegant catchall for wrapped candies, keys, or treasured objects.

Dimensions: 6 in. W × 5 in. H × 3.25 in. D. Each basket measures approximately 1.75 in. H × 2.5 in. W × 2.5 in. D.

Condition: Presents beautifully with light age-related wear, a faint underglaze blue crossed swords mark, and minor surface wear consistent with age. A highly decorative example of nineteenth-century Meissen Rococo Revival porcelain. See less