A very large Meissen porcelain dinner service

This beautiful dinner service is a vast set by the Meissen porcelain manufactory, and was made in Germany in the late nineteenth century. The pieces are painted with depictions of various birds, both domestic and exotic, including creatures such as wild fowl.

The birds are depicted perched on branches, and in beautiful naturalistic miniature settings. Insects are painted closer to the borders, and are set within gilt rims that adorn and unite all of the items. The objects are stamped with the underglaze blue crossed swords marks for Meissen, and feature various impressed and incised numerals for the models and makers.

The service includes a large number of dinner plates, a number of smaller, medium size plates, a similar number of side plates, and a similar number of porcelain bowls. Other pieces include sqaure, scallop rimmed dishes, a large, wide square bowl, oval tureens on stands, and a number of serving platters and serving dishes, as well as a pair of comport stands. 

Largest dish: Height 6cm, width 57.5cm, depth 38cm
Smallest plate: Height 2.5cm, diameter 15cm