Bawo and Dotter Limoges Elite Works Bridal Wreath Pattern Set of 8 Dinner 8 Bread Plates
Product Description And Additional Pictures
We are very pleased to offer a set of antique Bridal Wreath pattern plates produced by the prestigous firm of Bawo and Dotter. This set includes 8 dinner and 12 bread side plates. The Bridal Wreath pattern has swags of pink roses circling the border and the center - with light touches of violet, blue and green in the background -- set against a pure white plate. The scalloped plate edges are painted with gold in a manner that emphasizes the brush strokes. These plates were an estate find and have spent many, many years together. We would like to keep them together, and are offering them as service for eight, with four extra side plates. Who among us, when setting a table, has not needed an extra plate or two for the salad dressing jar, or for olives?
As you can see from our photographs, these charming plates boast a lovely pattern that blends well with other pieces, both antique and modern. We have featured a table setting with our antique Bawo and Dotter Bridal Wreath pattern dinner and bread plates paired with modern yellow and pink table linens and modern cutlery (we chose an Easter theme - see our pretty chick egg holder!) We completed the setting with a pink Depression Glass sherbet, and with a pink crystal wine goblet and an etched leaded crystal water goblet, both dating to the first quarter of the 20th century. These delightful plates are in excellent condition, with very little wear to the gilding, and very few knife marks. Except for a small flat chip on the underside of one dinner plate (see our photographs) there are no other chips, or nicks or cracks or crazing on these lovely plates. Professional replacement sites offer the Bridal Wreath dinner plates for nearly $50 a piece -- our pricing is much more reasonable!
These beautiful Bridal Wreath plates have an interesting history: the Bawo and Dotter Company was established in New York City in the 1860's to import porcelain into the USA from the Limoges region of France. In the early 1870's the firm established the 'Elite Works' in Limoges to decorate porcelain produced by the factories in the Limoges region. The Elite Works production included table china, decorative pieces and trinket boxes. At some point, the Elite Works began to incorporate the picture of St. Martial from the seal of the City of Limoges as its backstamp (see our photographs). Porcelain production was interrupted during WWI, but resumed shortly after fighting concluded. Bawo and Dotter then bought the William Guerin company (which had previously purchased the Pouyat company), and the resulting company became Guerin-Pouyat-Elite, and continuing the use of all three company marks. (It must be noted that Bawo and Dotter also had large operations in Austria and Czechoslovakia, and used completely different marks on those products). The Guerin-Pouyat-Elite company closed its doors in 1932, ending an illustrious history as a premier producer, decorator and merchandiser of exquisite Limoges porcelain.