Set of three Old Master porcelain plates by Meissen

Each of this set of three porcelain plates features delicate border decoration, which surrounds a central painted plaque of an Old Master painting.

Rendered in vibrant colours and with remarkable detail, the central roundels hark back to the styles and subjects of the European baroque. The first plaque is after a portrait by Rembrandt of his wife Saskia, who was frequently his model before her untimely death at the age of 29. The second is after a painting by the Dutch Golden Age genre and portrait painter Frans van Mieris the Elder, depicting a figurative scene of a tinker examining a metal pan in front of an inn. The final plaque is after Caravaggio, and depicts a group of three men playing cards. The name of each Old Master artist is inscribed in miniature black calligraphy below the roundel.

Each plate features gilt decoration on both the rim and the geometric pierced border, and the shining gold contrasts beautifully with the pale blue ground. Each roundel is topped by a blue ribbon bow. Further pink ribbon is ‘wound’ around a circular gilt border, creating a remarkable three-dimensional effect that is highly unusual for objects of this type.

The underside of each plate contains a Meissen cancellation mark.

Combining the extraordinary works of the old masters with delicate pastel details, these Meissen plates are a true collector’s item.