Courting Couple Plate Appraisal

Vintage Pickard-Style 22k Gold Encrusted Porcelain Plate with Courting Couple Decal

This is a small decorative porcelain plate, likely a bread and butter plate or coaster, featuring a classic rococo-style transfer decal of a courting couple in 18th-century attire. The man is dressed in a red frock coat, while the woman wears a voluminously draped blue gown and holds a fan, set against a park landscape. The central scene is framed by a wide border of cream-colored porcelain detailed with intricate, gold-filigree lace patterns. The most striking physical feature is the heavy, 22-karat gold-encrusted rim, a technique popularized by companies like Pickard, Limoges, or Bavarian china manufacturers in the early-to-mid 20th century. The plate shows significant condition issues, most notably a large hair-line crack spanning from the 9 o'clock position into the central motif. There is also visible wear to the gold gilt around the edges and minor surface scratches across the decal. The craftsmanship indicates a mid-level mass-produced decorative item intended for display or refined table service. No maker's mark is visible from the front view, but the style is characteristic of early 20th-century American or European decorative ceramics.