ANTIQUE Art Nouveau JPL LIMOGES 12 LuncheonPlates withGilding & Floral Design 8.75

  
LIMOGES Set of 12 Luncheon Plates (8-3/4) made in FRANCE with Gilded Edges & Floral Design from the Early 1900's. This is a stunning set of 12 Art Nouveau LIMOGES Luncheon Plates. These beautiful luncheon plates have a gold gilded rim with a blue band near the rim with a floral design of delicate pretty pink roses, white daisies and asters. They measure 8-3/4 inches in diameter. Each plate weighs about 14 oz. There are three Backstamp Markings. The whiteware underglaze factory mark as above with the words "Limoges" and "FRANCE" in black? The green overglaze decorating mark at the bottom with a "W" is an importer's retailer mark for John Wanamaker, a large department store in Philadelphia, with locations in Paris and New York as well (early 1900's). As John Wanamaker died in 1922, I believe these plates can be dated between 1914 and 1922.

These plates come from a friend's great-grandmother who was from a prominent New England family. She was married Circa 1920 and we suspect these plates may have been a wedding gift.

They were all very well cared for as is noticed by the condition. They were recently discovered carefully packed away in a box in an attic and had been there since at least the mid 1950's. There are other pieces in this same pattern that are listed separately including.

7 dinner plates (9-3/4 inch). 8 salad plates (7-3/4 inch).

5 fruit/dessert (sauce) bowls and (5-1/4 inch). Ten plates are in excellent mint condition with a bright, shiny surface and no chips, cracks or crazing. It's hard to believe they are more than 100 years old! One plate has a tiny flea-bite chip on the underside of the rim and one plate has a chip on the top of the rim. These two plates are photographed separately in the last two photos with circles surrounding the chips.

All of the plates are photographed both front and back with four plates in each photo. Please see all photos as they are an important part of the description.

Is located about 200 miles south of Paris. Nearby is the village of St. Yrieix, where significant deposits of kaolin - sometimes called "China clay" - were discovered in 1768. Kaolin is a pale-colored clay that looks almost white. This clay was first found in China and used to make porcelain centuries ago in the 800s and 900s.

This fortuitous discovery of kaolin clay meant French manufacturers could produce the fine white porcelain similar to the fine porcelain of China. This changed the course of the region's history. This was an essential ingredient for making hard-paste porcelain, which is fired at remarkably high temperatures and results in a luminous finish that is ideal for decoration. One of the distinctive traits of Limoges china is that no pieces will be alike due to the firing and production process. Capitalizing on the availability of kaolin clay, small-production porcelain factories opened in the surrounding area.