1980s Mrs. Delany's Flowers Dessert/Salad Plate in Sweet William by Sybil Connolly for Tiffany & Co.

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Offered is a salad/dessert plate in the Mrs. Delany's Flowers collection designed by Sybil Connolly for Tiffany & Co. in … Read more Offered is a salad/dessert plate in the Mrs. Delany's Flowers collection designed by Sybil Connolly for Tiffany & Co. in the early 1980s. This piece is in the Sweet William pattern. Sybil Connolly was an Irish Haute Couture designer who expanded her design skills with collaborations with Tiffany & Co. with this collection of floral ceramic tablewares, among other prestigious design firms. While these are made to dine, we think they would be lovely as display pieces or hung on a wall.

Plate measures 7.875" diameter, .75" tall, 6" base diameter

Here is a bit of the history on Mrs. Delany's Flowers:
The Mrs. Delany flower plates at Tiffany's are based on the botanical collages of Mary Delany (1700-1788). Delany's collages are made of tiny pieces of cut paper and are considered to be a combination of art and science. Delany began making her collages at age 72 after her second husband died in 1768. She was inspired to create the collages after noticing the similarity between a geranium and a piece of red paper on her bedside table. She would carefully dissect each plant to examine it and create an accurate portrayal
She would cut wafer-thin tissue into intricate shapes and paste them onto black paper. She would sometimes build up several layers of paper to create a complete picture. Delany's collages are housed in the British Museum and are known as the Flora Delanica
The collages are considered to be botanically correct reproductions of living plants. Delany was a British artist who was friends with Handel and Jonathan Swift. She was also a companion to the Duchess of Portland. One of her many projects included introducing Mrs. Delany’s art to Tiffany’s. Under Sybil’s amazing eye, Tiffany’s successfully designed and sold dinnerware with Mrs. Delany’s flowers. Sybil was also the force behind the Mrs. Delany’s Flowers exhibit at the Morgan Library. See less