Antique IMPERIAL SEVRES Cabinet Plate with Portrait of Young Napoleon II

This charming cabinet plate was made by the famous Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory in Sevres, France in the years 1804 to 1814. The mark "M. Imp. le de Sèvres" (short for Manufacture Impériale de Sèvres) was officially used during those years, a period corresponding to the First French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte, when the renowned French porcelain factory was designated as an Imperial Manufacturer. The mark is usually painted in iron red on the back of those porcelain pieces, as it is on this plate.
   
The plate also bears another mark on the underside: a knight's head with a plumed helmet and the word 'Paris' beneath. This is the mark for "Porcelaine de Paris," a cooperative of independent porcelain decorators located in or around Paris. The Sèvres Manufactory sold blank undecorated porcelain, like this plate, which was later decorated by one of these studios.

This pure white hard paste porcelain plate is decorated with a gilded edge and a gilded design on the rim composed of flowers, petals and arabesques surrounded by a gold ribbon. There is a pink border, also, edged with a gold design in the well of the plate. The centered portrait depicts a young Napoleon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte (1811-1832), the only son of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress Marie Louise.  At the top of the back of this plate is written in red "Roi du Rome" (King of Rome), the title given to Napoleon II at birth to establish him as the heir.  

The portrait is signed lower right 'O. Brun,' a noted French painter who frequently painted subjects related to the French Empire. He did not work on canvas, but rather on decorative porcelain. His works are in museums worldwide.

The 9 1/4 inch diameter plate is dished rather than flat and stands 1 inch tall. It weighs a bit over a pound and is in excellent condition, with even the gilded edges undamaged and just a bit of shelf dirt on the dry base. It's a beautiful display plate with a fascinating history. 

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