Design for a Soup Plate, c. 1889, Jules Auguste Habert-Dys, French, Fresnes, Loir-et-Cher 1850¡VParis ? 1930, 18 7/8 ¡Ñ 12 11/16 in. (47.94 ¡Ñ 32.23 cm), Watercolor and pen and ink, France, 19th century, In 1889, a huge dinner service caught the attention of critics attending the exhibition of ceramics at the Paris World¡¦s Fair. It comprised more than 300 pieces of porcelain, many of novel form and each with a unique pattern of floral decoration set amid vibrant abstract swooshes. This watercolor is a design for the decoration of one of the many plates. It is the work of Jules-Auguste Habert-Dys, designer of the entire service. The flowers sprouted in Habert-Dys¡¦s imagination and are unknown in nature. At the lower left are detailed notes on the colors, and the bold inscription 'fait' (done) recorded the completion of the finished porcelain plate.