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Plate, from the Charlotte-Louise Service

Date
1773
made in
Sèvres, France, Europe
Classification
Ceramics
Current Location
On View, Gallery 122
Dimensions
9 5/8 x 1 in. (24.4 x 2.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver R. Burkart, by exchange
Rights
Public Domain
Object Number
45:1976
NOTES
This white porcelain plate is decorated with a cobalt blue border enhanced with gilding. The outer design depicts putti (small cherubs) in clouds, interspersed with baskets of flowers and laurel wreaths. In the center are interlocking floral and foliate initials.

This plate comes from a service presented by Louis XV in January 1774 to Maria Carolina Louisa (known as Charlotte-Louise or Marie-Caroline-Louise), queen of Naples and the Two Sicilies, upon the birth of her second daughter, Louise, in 1773.
1773
Louis XV, King of France (1715 - 1774), commissioned from Sèvres, France

1773 -
Charlotte-Louise, Queen of Naples, Italy, given by Louis XV [1]

1971/03/21
In auction, "Catalogue of Important Continental Porcelain and Pottery," Sotheby & Co., London, England, March 30, 1971, lot no. 176 [2]

- 1976
Winifred Williams Rare Porcelain (Robert Williams), London, England

1976 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Winifred Williams Rare Porcelain [3]

Notes:
The primary source for the early history of this plate from a service of 114 pieces made for Louis XV, its transfer, and the later offerings at auction is recorded in [Eriksen, Svend and Geoffrey de Bellaigue. "Sèvres Porcelain: Vincennes and Sèvres, 1740-1800." London and Boston: Faber and Faber, 1987, p.155.] Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[1] This plate comes from a service presented by Louis XV to Marie-Caroline, Queen of Naples, upon the birth of her daughter, Charlotte-Louise, one of Louis's goddaughters [per letter dated May 17, 1976, from Winifred Williams (Winifred Williams Rare Porcelain) to SLAM employee Susan Baerwald, SLAM document files.]

[2] In auction, "Catalogue of Important Continental Porcelain and Pottery," Sotheby & Co., London, March 30, 1971, lot no. 176. Buyer is unknown. This plate was sold as a dessert service of five ice cups, a diamond-shaped tray, a saucer dish, two oval dishes, and thirty-two plates. The original service sent to Marie-Caroline was 114 pieces.

[3] Invoice from Winifred Williams Rare Porcelain, dated February 10, 1976 [SLAM document files]; Minutes of the Acquisitions Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 24, 1976.

We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.

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