Limoges Fabergé Dessert or Salad Plates - Set of 8

Details

Description

Limoges Fabergé Dessert or Salad Plates

French porcelain elegance meets the romance of Fabergé—eight jewels for a beautifully collected table.

… Read more Limoges Fabergé Dessert or Salad Plates

French porcelain elegance meets the romance of Fabergé—eight jewels for a beautifully collected table.

An exceptionally decorative group of Limoges porcelain dessert or salad plates, each centred with a different Fabergé-inspired Imperial egg, combining the refinement of French porcelain with the jewel-like opulence associated with the celebrated Russian house of Fabergé. Elegant enough for formal entertaining yet sufficiently distinctive to display as decorative objects, these plates possess that increasingly desirable quality of being both useful and wonderfully conversational.

The design is particularly effective. Each plate presents a generous field of luminous white porcelain bordered by restrained concentric bands of gold. A finely patterned gilt band near the rim provides additional richness without overwhelming the composition. Against this deliberately understated background, the individual egg becomes the visual focus.

Each central motif is different. One appears in soft green surrounding a portrait medallion; another combines deep cobalt blue with elaborate golden ornament; a third is richly worked in blue and gold with an almost architectural surface; while the fourth introduces a striking rose-pink ground divided by elaborate gilt framework. The pageantry continues with each of the eight plates. Together they create the impression of eight miniature jewels presented against white porcelain.

Their entertaining value is considerable. Used for dessert, salad, fruit, pastries or an elegant luncheon course, the plates introduce an element of discovery to the table. A dessert initially conceals part of the central decoration; as the course progresses, the individual egg is gradually revealed. Different designs also encourage guests to compare their plates, providing a natural conversation piece without resorting to novelty tableware.

They would be particularly charming for Easter entertaining, when the egg imagery becomes especially appropriate, but their appeal extends comfortably to Christmas, New Year's Eve, afternoon tea and formal dinners. Crisp white linen, sterling silver, fine crystal and relatively restrained table decorations would allow their gold and jewel tones to provide the principal ornament. The plates are show stoppers, just as the original Faberge Egg's were when displayed in the center of Faberge's retail store in St. Petersburg, Russia over a century ago. Stunning.

When not in use, the plates have substantial decorative potential. Displayed together on stands, arranged within a glazed cabinet, positioned along a dining-room sideboard or hung as a symmetrical wall grouping, they read almost as individual works of decorative art. The expansive white grounds make them surprisingly adaptable to both traditional and more contemporary interiors.

They are an excellent example of The Art of the Table: objects chosen not simply because they serve a practical purpose, but because they contribute beauty, ceremony and conversation to entertaining. See less