A 19th-century French chromolithograph of pieces from the Cameo Service, ordered from Sèvres by Catherine the Great of Russia in 1776 and among the most ambitious services the manufactory ever produced. Each piece carries her crowned monogram, a Cyrillic E with II for Ekaterina II, set within a laurel wreath and garland of roses. The turquoise ground is framed in scrolling gold and set with painted cameos in imitation of antique carved gems, a nod to the empress's passion for collecting them. Shown here are a shaped dish, a plate, a coffee pot with a gilt eagle-head spout and acanthus base, a cup, and a two-handled cup, with the Sèvres marks and date letters printed alongside. Most of the surviving service is now at the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg. It is framed in gilt modern frame with a rope twist edge and a beaded inner border, and it is lovely in a dining room, a study, or a library.
Chromolithography was the finest color printing process of the 19th century. Each color was drawn by hand onto its own limestone block, and the sheet was pressed against every stone in turn, sometimes a dozen or more, with each impression aligned precisely over the last. Here the gold was printed in metallic ink so it catches the light as gilding would.
- Origin: France
- Age: Late 19th century (Circa 1880)
- Medium: Chromolithograph with metallic gold on paper
- Details: Pieces from the Sèvres Cameo Service with turquoise ground, painted cameos, and crowned imperial monogram, printed Sèvres marks; gilt frame with rope twist and beaded edge, glazed
- Dimensions: 18.5 by 13.5
- Condition: Good antique condition with light toning to the paper consistent with age.
