1820s Old Paris Porcelain Plates by L. Rihouet

Louis Marie Francois Rihouet (Rihouët) was born in 1791 and began his porcelain business in 1818 in Paris, where he produced beautiful wares hand enameled in the manner of Sèvres. Among his patrons was King Louis XVIII (and later, Louis-Philippe) and in 1824 Rihouet received the title of Fournisseur du Roi (Supplier to the King). His hard paste porcelains, now called Vieux Paris (Old Paris), are valuable and avidly collected.

Both of these 9 inch luncheon (or dessert) plates are hand enameled with a pretty bouquet of pink ranunculus and pansies, each a bit different from the other. The border is decorated with rose du Barry, the opaque pink overglaze color developed in France during the 18th century. They are further enhanced by sprigs and arabesques of gilding, as well as having gilded rims. The reverse of each is signed "Rihouet a paris" (Rihouet of Paris) in green enameled script.

These plates are in superb condition--there are no chips, cracks or hairlines. There is a small flake off the enamel that reveals the white porcelain beneath. It's on the right rim of the plate that's on the stand in the first photo and pictured up close in photograph # 5. There is no wear to the gilding. The slight dark marks on the back of one of the plates are highly magnified in our photo and almost unnoticeable in person. They are two of the prettiest porcelain plates we have offered for sale and an absolute delight to own and display.

P.S. Love the pattern on these antique French plates? Here is a link to a 17 piece dessert set:

19th C Handpainted Botanical Rihouet Paris Porcelain Pink Dessert Service 17 Pcs For Sale at 1stDibs


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