An elegant genuine Edwardian antique porcelain cabinet plate imported by George F. Bassett & Co. The plate features a softly ruffled, scalloped rim adorned with hand-applied gold gilt trim. The face is beautifully hand-painted with romantic trailing sprays of purple violets and delicate green leaves, all set against a softly airbrushed, dreamlike background gradient blending from lavender-blue to a mint-green and soft ivory center.

Historical & Style Details

• Subject / Sitter / Source: Purple Violet Floral Study
• Artist / Maker / Author: George F. Bassett & Co. (Imported from Austrian Workshop)
• Period: Edwardian / Late Victorian (Circa 1890–1914)
• Origin: Austria (Decorated for the American Luxury Market)
• Material / Technique: Pressed white porcelain blank, decorated with overglaze hand-painted florals, airbrushed background gradients, and hand-gilded rim trim
• Materials: Fine porcelain, glaze, overglaze enamel, gold gilt
• Markings: Green printed factory backstamp under the base featuring the circular radiating wreath enclosing "BASSETT LIMOGES AUSTRIA"
• Decorative Details: Softly ruffled scalloped rim, accent gold edge banding, and asymmetric trailing botanical clusters
• Colour & Surface: Shaded lavender, mint green, and pale ivory ground with polychrome purple violets and bright gold highlights
• Condition: Exceptional antique condition; the fine porcelain body is completely free of structural chips, cracks, hairline fractures, or glaze crazing; hand-painted enamel elements are wonderfully vibrant and crisp; minor expected, light shelf wear to the unglazed standing base rim and very minor rubbing to the gilt edge trim consistent with over a century of careful display.
• Seller's Note: Antique porcelain plate with beautiful glaze clarity and crisp enameled violet detailing; structurally pristine with a clean, fully intact Bassett hallmark.

History

Founded in New York City in 1874, George F. Bassett & Co. was an elite American luxury ceramics importer renowned for supplying high-end department stores with top-tier European tableware. To provide clients with the prestige of French design at competitive prices, Bassett operated a decorating studio in Limoges, France, while contracting premier workshops in the historic Bohemia region of Austria to fire the underlying porcelain blanks. This cross-continental trade structure produced exceptionally high-gloss, translucent cabinet pieces. Tableware bearing this specific pre-war wreath mark remains highly collectible, offering a superb representation of Edwardian-era hand-painted china artistry.