This grouping of 4 spectacularly decorated French Limoges Belle Epoch cabinet or dinner plates so rich in raised gold enamel and encrusted gold trim, these have been in my china hutch for decades. Our favorite formal dinner is 6 guests, but when we expanded to 10 friends, this set got used. No, not eaten from, but to set the welcoming table - place plates. It's always a strange choice for someone to have a giant hand painted raised gold enamel monogram in the center of a plate set. It takes away the ability to serve guests on the plate - the plus is no utensil marks; the negative, only useful with a plate layered on top. Typically, I've set a formal table with these and my others at each place, and we serve first course on 8.5" plate set directly on top of these so the elaborate enamel border shows. Then, this plate and the smaller entremet plate are removed from table and replaced with a gold rimmed dinner plate, also antique French, (of greatly lesser replacement value) for main course. Sometimes this formal set will return to table with a dessert plate on top to end the meal as pretty as it started. Lots of fun memories in our decades with these, and surely a long history of other formal dinners for a century before. The plates are c.1890-1920, Charles Aaronfeldt, Limoges masterpieces. Made and stamped for marketing through the famed Mark Kay & Co., of Detroit - itself another pillar of elegant history, and help us date the plates to about 1920-25. Full measurements noted on photos.
Very good to excellent condition throughout. No chips, no harilines, no loss of raised gold, entirely hand painted, applied. The encrusted gold edging/borders are complete and superb, as well. The finest sets have the gold around the bottom base, which you see on this set. The set includes only 4 at this point in time, and you are buying. 4. In Paris often, I usually make a visit to the porcelain department at Bon Marche just to see what the modern raised gold dinner plates are priced. Last time I checked, the prices ranged from $600 to $2800 a single plate, and truly these antique ones are more beautiful. We used to sell a lot of sets of these elegant Belle Epoche raised gold French and English plates, but it's just about impossible to find them anymore. Don't miss these!
