Portrait Plate

This is a superb portrait plate made by Royal Vienna in 1787. An amazingly well marked example from the beginnings of the Sorgenthal period with a top notch painting in the center. The subject matter of the painting is a copy of Rembrandt's painting on the Prodigal Son in the Tavern, usually understood to be a picture of himself and his wife. It is of a well off couple having some food and fun. The gentleman is dressed in his finest clothes including his sword and feathered hat and drinking out of a tall glass while the lady is sitting in his lap. A nice table with some silverware and dishes on it and draperies on the side. One cannot say enough about the quality of this painting! The rim has a very typical Sorgenthal period design of colorful scrolls and lots oof gilding some of it tooled. Really quite nice as well. The plate has everything going for except it has a flat rim chip as shown. That would be an easy fix if need be but it is just amazing as is! If you like Vienna plates this has to be your next piece :) The plate is 9.75 inches in diameter and 1.75 inches tall so more of a soup plate / bowl . It is marked with the underglaze blue shield / beehive mark underneath with a dot as well as an impressed 87 for 1787, a Weissdreher's Number 19 for the guy that made the unglazed blank plate and a painter's mark 78 in red for Franz Henselmann who worked as a painter at the factory from 1783 until 1787. It is very rare to find a painter's mark on these plates so it is certainly a special piece! Please email me for more information or photos.