Dinner plate c. 1805

This porcelain dinner plate was created by Dihl and Guérhard in France in the late 18th or early 19th century, during a time of significant social and political upheaval. The neoclassical design features military motifs, with soldiers and weaponry encircling a central image of a flag and olive branch. In this period, the decorative arts often served as a medium through which to express national identity and political ideologies. These types of motifs would have resonated with the patrons of this era. The imagery suggests a society grappling with themes of conflict and peace. The dinner plate’s design invites us to reflect on how these themes were consumed, quite literally, during domestic life. It prompts questions about who was included and excluded from the table, and whose stories were being told through these objects. This plate is a reminder of the complex and often contradictory ways in which power and identity are negotiated through art and material culture.