Rare Antique French Cafe Plate

This is a listing for a wonderfully aged antique early 20th Century French serving dish. It is a rare example, with a deep red border contrasting with washes of purple across the plate. Normally, the colouring on these plates is normally only found on the edge rims.

Designed to be used in French cafés and bars, these little saucers are very difficult to source. Dating to the early part of the 20th Century, they were used when serving drinks and small plates of food to indicate the price of the items purchased. The prices, in French francs, featured on different plates, and the value was also indicated by the different coloured rims. The art deco style of the typography is a nice feature on this plate.

This plate is in weathered condition, with the colouring fading in places. There are also some chips to the outside rim and a crack through the middle. But this is stable, and these flaws add to the authentic antique feel of the piece. There is a mark on its base although I don't recognise this.

Diameter, 12cm; Height, 2cm