Georges Dreyfus children\'s tea set with painted \"talking plates\", tea cups For Sale

This is an exceptionally rare set of fine Georges Dreyfus porcelain produced in the late 19th century, early 1900s and sold from his shop in Paris. The set consists of six hand-colored and signed tea saucers for a children\'s tea set. The plates and three surviving cups depict scenes from Cadet Rousselle, a children\'s song that served both as a mnemonic teaching technique as well as a patriotic song that permeated all of society in late 18th, and 19th centuries.
The saucers are 5\" in diameter, and the cups are 2 1/2\" in height. Three tea cups did not survive to complete the set. The condition is remarkable with only one slight chip on the inside of one of the cups just under the rim. The rims of the cups are trimmed in gilt, as are the plates. These are still visible, but have faded over time. Each piece is stamped on the bottom: G.D. Paris Depose.
This rare set is a remarkable example of French assiette parlantes (\"talking plates\"). These plates often illustrated famous French battles or wars, and plates like this would give a village patriot a \"memory\" boost about a battle or war he was a part of, or proud of. So called \"historical\" plates, these recorded France\'s most illustrious wars. Collecting plates that portrayed France in its glory days on the battle fields around the world became quite popular, a true infatuation for collecting historical faience plates swept over 19th century France.