Sevres Pompeii plate made for Prince Napoleon 1854 Tie

Here's an extravagance - from the Second Empire of France, when Prince Napoleon thought he was an ancient Roman re-living the extravagances of the Empire. THe nephew of Bonapart, had an entire Pompeian house built in Paris, and a sumptuous Pompeii-red service was ordered form the State owned Sevres porcelain factory to grace the banquet hall. Legend has it he built the palace to entertain his mistress, the actress Rachael, but she died before it was completed...... The designs come from recently excavated wall frescoes in Pompeii. A lavish display of the Napoleonic taste for Ancient Rome: perfect to the modern day Imperialists out there ! Info from the moorabool.com website: Important Sevres dinner plate, from a service commissioned by Prince Napoleon, 1856, the center with a dionysiac scene in the Pompeian manner, with a cup and ewer on a marble slab; all set on a ‘Pompeian Red’ ground, within elaborate borders including a honeysuckle motif in gold with four white flower motifs. Date code for 1854, crowned ‘N’ in red for Napoleon ref. Dawson ‘French Porcelain’ #189 for another examplefrom the service, in the British Museum, also 1854 production.