Decorated in the neo-rococo style, this dessert plate features an Alpine scene entitled "Swiss Cottage near Brieg." Similar dessert plates made for the dowries of the daughters of Nicholas I were painted with scenes of St. Petersburg and its environs to remind the young grand duchesses of their homeland. This plate and another acquired at the same time, however, have German and Swiss scenes identified in English. The dessert set might have been intended as a gift to foreign royals. The scene is taken from an original steel engraving by Samuel Prout.

Museum Purchase, 2001

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