Gien France Empire Pattern Ironstone 26-Piece Dinner Service for 12 c.1875

This 26-piece dinner and serving service by Gien manufacture in the Empire pattern, dates to circa 1880. Crafted in ironstone earthenware, the creamy ivory bodies are transfer-printed in deep blue with a central roundel framed by laurel and interlaced banding, surrounded by anthemion, rosettes, and medallions featuring graceful swans. The service includes 12 squared plates with canted corners, 1 footed serving bowl, 2 rectangular serving platters, 4 rounded serving platters, 2 covered vegetable dishes with faceted lids, 1 sauceboat and 4 small side servers. The ensemble remains in good, timeworn condition, its glaze crazing, light discoloration, and gentle rim wear enhancing the historic character and lending the service the authentic charm of a well-loved 19th-century French table.

Founded in 1821 on the Loire, Gien quickly earned renown for the quality of its production, marrying technical innovation with artistry. Its refined earthenware, decorated by transfer printing from engraved plates, combined crisp ornament with luminous glazes, and by the later nineteenth century its durable ironstone bodies were prized for both everyday dining and more formal service. In this service, the design looks back to the First Empire’s neoclassical vocabulary, celebrating antiquity through laurel wreaths, palmettes, and cameo profiles. The deep blue on ivory palette and squared forms reflect late nineteenth-century taste for orderly classicism rendered with graphic clarity.

This service brings elegance and character to a dining room or kitchen dresser. Use the platters for serving and the covered dishes as centerpieces on a long table, or mount a selection of plates on a wall to form a disciplined neoclassical arrangement that echoes their historic origins. The pieces carry the gentle patina of age, a soft lustre that enhances their authenticity and lends warmth and depth that cannot be replicated in newer wares. Their quiet history adds narrative richness, transforming them from simple tableware into heirloom conversation pieces.