Set of Eight Samson Paris Porcelain Eagle Dinner Plates, 19th century

Colorful and festive dinner plates each decorated with an imperial Russian double headed eagle in the center, enclosing a deep blue shield of St. George Slaying the Dragon, the symbol of Moscow, Russia’s ancient capital. The outer border features crests of waves enhanced with cobalt blue bands and a rouge de der outer rim. This design has more to it however, as it recalls the Chinese export service ordered by Catherine the Great in the 18th century for the Russian imperial court.

Samson was an important French porcelain manufacturer founded in the 1860s in Paris by Edmé Samson that excelled in reproducing important porcelain services from around the world. The firm produced high-quality imitations of earlier styles of porcelain, mainly 18th-century European and Chinese and Japanese porcelain, but also earlier styles such as Italian maiolica.

-10 in. (24.5 cm) diam

For 5 dessert plates from the same service see Ref no. 309M-MSH-135B.