Limoges Hand-Painted Dessert Plates~A Pair Roses and Pansies

Antiques : Limoges

 

A Pair of Limoges Hand-painted Dessert Plates with Gold Trim. Painted with great care around the turn of the century by an American "china painter". China painting had reached its height of popularity in the early 1900's. A beautiful pair with 1/4 inch gold trim; one with pansies and one with wild roses.

The rose plate is painted with coral pink wild roses in various states of blooming plate. Legend has it that Roman dining room ceilings were decorated with roses, this was a reminder to guests that they should keep secret what had been said during dinner. The term, Sub rosa, under the rose, means "confidentially." This rose plate measures 7 inches and has a 1/4 inch gold border or 18cm and 1/ cm border. In very good condition. This plate wears the Limoges France Banner Mark #2, used after 1891.

The pansy plates is painted with white, yellow, and lavender Pansies. Pansies have been used by artists and writers through the years. The name Pansy comes from the French word "Pensee" or "thought". So named since they resemble a human face and in late summer their "face" leans forward as if in deep thought. Redoute painted pansies and Shakespeare wrote of them in Hamlet. A well-known line from Hamlet goes: "There's pansies; that's for thoughts". These deep thinkers are forever in bloom, captured by the artist Wenzelberger at the turn of the century. Marked on the back with the Limoges Banner Mark,#2, that was used after 1891. The plate measures 7 inches with a 1/4 inch gold border, or 18 cm. with a 5/8 cm border. Condition is good, minor chip on the bottom rim.

Item ID: 066-0207