PRESIDENT MADISON WHITE HOUSE CHINA PLATE, NAST c. 1806 *** AUTHENTIC - NOT A REPRODUCTION *** Start Price USD 11,000.00 Current Price USD 11,000.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price USD 12,500.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, June 28, 2008 End Time Tuesday, July 08, 2008 Location San Francisco, CA See more about 'PRESIDENT MADISON WHITE HOUSE CHINA PLATE, NAST c. 1806' Description A VERY RARE LUNCHEON OR DESSERT PLATE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE CHINA OF PRESIDENT JAMES MADISON, PRODUCED IN 1806 AND MARKED BY THE NAST FACTORY OF PARIS Measurement: approximately 9.125 inches (23.2.centimeters) CONDITION:  IN REALLY EXCELLENT CONDITION, WITH NO CHIPS, CRACKS OR REPAIRS. SLIGHT WEAR/SCRATCHING TO THE GILDING. BEFORE BIDDING, PLEASE READ ALL OF THE ADDITIONAL TERMS AND INFORMATION THAT FOLLOW THE DETAILED ITEM DESCRIPTION BELOW. A rare Paris porcelain plate from the dinner service of President James MadisonThe Nast factory, circa 1806With a plain white center, the orange-ground rim painted in black and thick white enamel with a neoclassical border of nine floral and foliate medallions alternating with fern and scroll devices between gilt bands, 'NAST a Paris" mark stencilled in iron-red.Diameter 9.125 in. (23.2cm.)During the administration of James Madison (1809-17), the domestic life of the President and his sociable wife, Dolley, was disrupted abruptly when, in the War of 1812, the British burned the President's House in Washington in August of 1814. Dolley Madison managed to save some of the household furnishings, but the china was not among them. Fortunately, the furnishings of Octagon House, where President and Mrs. Madison resided for a year following the fire, were sufficiently elegant to accommodate most of their entertainments, but it is thought that the Madisons enhanced the household with personal belongings brought from their house in Virginia. Among the enhancements was the Nast service, which is believed to have been used on state occasions.A full account of this service is provided by Susan G. Detweiler, American Presidential China, pp. 17 and 18, who illustrates an identical plate, p. 19, and who notes that the service, "traditionally known as the Madison state china", was purchased by Madison while he was Secretary of State. The order had been placed for the Madisons by their personal friend, Fulwar Skipwith, the United States consul in Paris, who wrote to Madison on September 3, 1806 that "Mr. Nast, the China Manufacturer, has at last executed the order which I gave him on my arrival here for your Table and Dessert sets of China, & they have lately been forwarded...this China in whiteness is not much inferior to the China of the celebrated Manufactory of Sevres, & is just 40% cheaper."According to Mrs. Detweiler, ibid., p. 18, "the few pieces of indisputable Madison china surviving today came for the most part, through descendants, to a sale in Philadelphia in 1899 [of the Estate of Dolley P. Madison, the catalogue having been compiled by Stan V. Henkels], the others having probably been sold to pay debts incurred by Dolley's son, Payne Todd."This service is further discussed and some of its few surviving pieces are illustrated by Marian Klamkin, White House China, pp. 27-30, fig. 8: a plate, a bowl and a shell-shaped dish, and color pl. 8 (center): an oval platter; and by Margaret Brown Klapthor, Official White House China, pp. 33-39 and color pls. 5-9: a plate, a shell-shaped dish, a fruit cooler and two details of the Nast marks. Four pieces from this service: a pair of plates and a sauceboat and stand, which had been included in the auction of property from the Estate of Dolley P. Madison at Davis & Harvey in Philadelphia on May 9, 1899, were sold at Christie's East in New York on October 24, 1989, lot 245. NOTE: An identical plate was recently offered at a major auction house in Dallas, Texas, where it sold for $14,340 (including the buyer's premium) (website link with photos available on request). Another plate from this Madison  service (a more-or-less diamond-shaped serving plate, 12" x 9.5") sold at the same auction house this year (but in a different sale) for $17,925 (web link on request). ... A search of the auction sale records at Sothebys and Christies shows that in the past ten years or so only one or two items from the Madison service have been offered by those auctioneers. ... A "fruit cooler" (a covered urn used to serve chilled fruit or ice cream) from this Madison service is in the White House collection. (A photo of that item is available upon request.) Shipping and Insurance:  Shipping itself is free WITHIN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES ONLY, but (contrary to what you see below at the bottom of the screen) insurance is required and must be paid by the buyer (it will be included in the buyer's invoice). The cost of insurance will be that charged by the shipper. The seller's selection of shipping carrier and method (for example, FedEx, USPS Priority Mail, UPS Air, etc.) will be limited to those offering adequate insurance coverage, and will be at the discretion of the seller. However, shipping arrangements specifically requested or suggested by the buyer will be accommodated if reasonable, and if the buyer agrees to cover any extra expense involved. Shipment will be by air if practical (not by UPS ground or USPS Parcel Post, etc.). Fees for insurance will reflect the actual charges quoted by the shipper based on the final ebay selling price. NOTE: If your ebay profile or feedback rating indicates that you are new to ebay, or if you have received little feedback or have less than a 99% positive feedback rating, please email me before bidding. I welcome all interest, but must attempt to prevent irresponsible bidders from obstructing a successful sale. For that reason I reserve the right to cancel bids from anyone who does not comply with this requirement.  Additional photos on request. All emailed inquiries will be answered as promptly as possible. (Responses to emails received on July 4th or 5th may be delayed until July 6th, as I will be away from my PC during much of those two days.) IF THIS ITEM DOES NOT SELL, IT WILL NOT BE REOFFERED ON EBAY ! ( additional search terms: assiette assiettes presidential china paris porcelaine porcelain de paris ) Place a Bid!