MEISSEN, COBALT BLUE, GROUND, LARGE PORCELAIN DISH (1852-1870).
In scallop form, hand painted with guilded panels and almost 12" in diameter.
Meissen was the first factory to employ crossed swords as a mark, this from 1724. To the base of the plate the swords have a dot attached to the outside base of the handles: this confirms it was made from 1815 onwards.
A more specific clue to the date is the double slashes indicating it was made between 1852 and 1870. Two slashes are an indication that Meissen considered the dish to be of unsuitable quality. Ostensibly there seems little wrong, excepting small areas of guilding which may have burnt off during the firing process.
Ironically, it is these two slashes that pobably have ensured the dish has survived in such perfect condition.