Antique Plate – Manufacture Balleroy, Mandavy et de Mavaleix – Limoges, c. 1904-1908

Antique Limoges porcelain plate, produced by the Balleroy, Mandavy et de Mavaleix manufactory, circa 1904–1908.

The piece features a particularly refined decoration, organized around a wide deep green background animated by white reserves with scalloped edges. These are adorned with delicate bouquets of polychrome flowers in shades of pink and green.

A rich gilded decoration, composed of scrollwork, flowers, and vegetal motifs, highlights the composition and connects the different reserves. The gilded elements, sometimes slightly in relief, attest to the care taken in the ornamentation.

The center of the plate, largely left white, features a discreet floral bouquet, creating an elegant contrast with the decorative profusion of the rim. The edge is highlighted by a wide patinated gilded band, whose wear gives the whole a beautiful antique presence.

The slightly hollow shape and the vegetal-accented decoration are in keeping with the decorative taste of the Art Nouveau period, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

In 1900, brothers Antoine and Henri Balleroy acquired a manufactory in Limoges. In 1904, their activity joined with Léon Mandavy and Paul Grenouillet de Mavaleix, giving birth to the company Balleroy et Cie. This association lasted only a few years: the partners separated in 1908.

This short period explains the particular interest of pieces bearing this name, produced at the very beginning of the 20th century.

Good overall condition considering its age. Wear and patina on the gilded highlights, particularly visible on the rim and certain parts of the decoration. Some old marks and traces of use. The floral decoration remains clearly legible and the whole retains a beautiful decorative presence.