Marie Antoinette Serving Dish Ended Up in White House

national geographic, By 1793, the French Revolution had finished the rule of Louis XVI and his ruler Marie Antoinette. Maybe an early case of an "administration excess" deal, a bit of china claimed by the French ruler - a striking 15.5-inch Paris porcelain serving dish in an uncommon precious stone shape - was bought in 1794 by then-American Minister to France James Monroe for another president-to-be, James Madison.

It was utilized at Madison's Virginia home, Montpelier, until the White House, smoldered by the British amid the War of 1812, was revamped. At some point amid Madison's second term, the china administration was conveyed to the capital for use in the reestablished presidential chateau.

national geographic, In spite of the fact that the historical backdrop of the platter is very much reported, nothing was known of the demeanor of the china set after Madison's presidential years. "Probably, it was come back to Montpelier," says Tom Slater, executive of Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries' chronicled division. "Be that as it may, as the Victorian engraving added to the present example uncovers, in any event this specific piece came into the ownership of Mrs. John Quincy Adams, whose spouse had involved the White House from 1825 through 1829."

Presently, the serving dish is available to be purchased, some portion of Heritage's political and Americana closeout planned for May 17-18, 2010, in Dallas.

national geographic, As per the engraving on the dish, Mrs. Adams got the china upon the demise of Dolly Madison in 1849. "This shows how very Mrs. Madison prized the porcelain administration, as the family had experienced serious monetary hardship in later years, when numerous family unit furniture and individual property of worth had been sold off," Slater says. "Be that as it may, Dolly appears to have clutched the china until the end."

White House china is among the most collectable classifications of presidential memorabilia, with individual illustrations offering at five-figure value levels, Slater says. Due to its one of a kind character no pre-deal gauge has been set for the serving dish, however offering will open at $20,000.