Scalloped Fruit Dish (Prince de Rohan Service)
Manufacturer: Manufacture nationale de Sèvres (French, 1740-present)
Date: 1771
Dimensions:
Overall: 1 13/16 x 7 11/16 in. (4.5 x 19.6 cm)
Medium: Soft-paste porcelain, enamel colors and gilt
Classification: Ceramics
Credit Line: Gift of Royce G. Martin in memory of his wife
Object number: 1951.392
Label Text:In the 18th century, the celebrated Sèvres porcelain manufacturer produced elaborate table services with sometimes hundreds of pieces. The striking bleu celeste (“heavenly blue”) pieces displayed here are part of a service meant for the serving of both dinner and desserts. Cheese, meat, soup, cakes, custards, ice creams—each was served in a cup, plate, or bowl designed specifically for that purpose. The lavish, bird-themed 368-piece service (now dispersed among many collections) was commissioned by Louis-René-Édouard, Cardinal Prince de Rohan-Guémenée, in 1771 on the occasion of being appointed by Louis XV as Ambassador Extraordinary to the court of Vienna. The Toledo Museum of Art has 18 pieces from the service in its collection.
On view
In Collection(s)