Napoleon Bonaparte's mother Letizia Bonaparte (1750-1836), second wife Marie Louise (1791-1847), general Joachim Murat (1767-1815), are just some of the notable historical figures depicted on this extraordinary Sevres style porcelain dessert service.
Napoleon I of France was a popularly-depicted figure in the decorative arts of the 19th Century in France, as he enjoyed an almost-legendary status on account of his glorious conquests. Napoleon was associated with regality and splendour, and it was for this reason that dessert services such as this would have wished to portray major figures from the era in such an opulent fashion.
The service contains sixteen pieces in total, including 12 plates, two taller tazzas, and two smaller cake stands: each one is painted with a portrait bust of a different Napoleonic figure, set within a parcel gilt and cobalt blue border.
The underside of each piece bears the spurious inscription 'Offert par Lucien Bonaparte a la Mme Lefevre / Manufacture Imperiale de Sevres'. The dimensions for the individual pieces are as follows: