Minneapolis Institute of Art

Plate

Manufacturer: Guérhard et Dihl

Date

c. 1805

Medium

Porcelain

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Rather than adorn their dinner services with heraldic crests like the aristocracies of Europe, Americans preferred nationalistic imagery. While encouraging the French to support America's fight for independence, Benjamin Franklin promised them that the new nation would be an ideal market for luxury goods from France. The French monarchy obliged, and manufacturers in France eagerly produced ceramics, glassware, and other decorative arts combining the American symbols-in this case the flag-with classical iconography.

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