Set of 12 porcelain plates with a blue rim and gold decor, Minton, 1890

Each of these twelve plates features a wide turquoise-blue border, whose finely grained surface gives the piece a velvety texture of exceptional rarity. This border is framed by two finely chiseled gilt bands with geometric decoration. At the center of each plate is an exquisite, detailed naturalistic composition: fruiting branches with raised gilded leaves, surrounded by butterflies, dragonflies, and flying insects. Both the decorative subjects and the asymmetrical composition are characteristic of the Aesthetic Movement and its fascination with Japanese art, which flourished at the end of the Victorian period, between 1870 and 1890.

The richness of these plates rests on the layering of two distinct and complementary techniques, each requiring an exceptional degree of specialization. The leaves, stems, and insects are executed in raised paste gold: an enamel paste was first applied in relief onto the already glazed porcelain to create the modeled forms of the motifs, after which gold — here combined with platinum — was applied by brush and then burnished with agate after firing. The fruit motifs, meanwhile, were created using overglaze enamel painting, a technique that allows the addition of color while preserving both transparency and the brilliance of the gold beneath the enamel. The entire process required several successive firings, each carrying the risk of altering the previous layers.

These twelve plates form a set of remarkable rarity and refinement, illustrating the highest level of technical mastery the manufactory could achieve. Such works were entrusted only to the most highly skilled ornamental painters and gilders, whose expertise was acquired through many years of training, and were commissioned solely by Minton’s wealthiest clientele. Today, they stand as testimony to the creative and technical pinnacle of nineteenth-century English porcelain.