Plate

The plate forms a spherical segment, with a splaying rim. The surface shows a Chinese-style stylized landscape with castle towers at the left front, hills, a tree with fruits leaning from the middle to the left. There is a pine-like plant at the right, and parts of buildings, ruing, a pagoda-style tower appear in the background, behind a golden fence. The creme base is painted with intensive blue, gold and red. The rim is lined with a gold frieze of leaves and berries the reverse is painted with five flowering twigs. The designer combined Chinese models with Romantic European approach. The name of the pattern is Miramare it is dated between 1857 and 1864, since a dining set of the same pattern was made for Maximilian of Habsburg, the brother of Francis-Joseph I, for his castle in Miramare, near Triest. A plate and a part of a tea set with similar decoration were published by Győző Sikota (see Sikota 1976 pp.150 and 176).