Napoleonic Cabinet Plate Design, Portrait of Mme. Sans Gene - c. 19th Century, France

Fine Art : Printmaking : Engravings

 

Interesting and unusual Napoleonic color cabinet plate design on paper depicting a portrait of Mme. Sans Gene. It is signed LK on the lower right and surrounded by a gold, red and green border and a cardboard passepartout. Round border even has the indentations meant to print onto a scalloped bordered dish. Hand-written text under the matt reads as follows: 4725/D2743 Assiette Richard 21 cm which confirms it is a design for a dish (assiette in French). The French playwright Victorien Sardou immortalized Duchess Lefèbvre, née Catherine Hübscher, in a play and gave her the nickname "Madame Sans-Gêne" or Madame Without Worries. The wife of François Joseph Lefèbvre (1755-1820), Madame Lefèbvre was a colorful character of Napoleonic times. Her husband had a brilliant military career--among many other distinctions he was Maréchal de France, President of the Senate, Duc de Dantzig and his name is on the Arch of Triumph. In good condition with minor signs of wear as shown.

Measurements: Visible image: 8.7" diameter (22 cm diameter); Matt: 12.4" square (31.5 cm square).

Item ID: 882