FRENCH BASKET without foot

Around 1820, master modeler Karl Friedrich Riese designed an elegantly curved FRENCH BASKET with an openwork rim for the Berlin Royal Porcelain Factory ( Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur ). In one version of the model, the basket was produced without a base. In the classic version, the basket was mounted on a fluted pedestal with a square plinth. Another version features the basket supported by three lion’s feet. The classicist-style basket bowl, like the FRENCH vase, is inspired by a model from Sèvres. In 1822, on behalf of the Prussian King Frederick William III, richly decorated French basket bowls were produced at the Berlin Manufactory as part of the wedding service for his daughter Alexandrine and Grand Duke Paul Frederick of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Rich gilding and an ornamental band matching the plate rims adorn the fruit baskets. In 1842, on the occasion of her engagement to the Bavarian Crown Prince Maximilian II, the Prussian Princess Marie also received a dinner service made of Berlin porcelain for 50 people. It was a gift from the Prussian King Frederick William IV to his cousin. The eight French basket bowls were elaborately gilded and decorated with a decorative band of gold ornaments and scattered flowers on a blue background. Even today, the Berlin Porcelain Manufactory ( Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur ) offers the FRENCH BASKET without a foot.