This plate displays the Sèvres factory's unmatched skill in decorating porcelain. At least three painters were responsible for ornamenting it. One created the enameled garland of fruits and flowers, a second painted the cobalt blue ground, and a third depicted the bronzed head of Benjamin Franklin on a faux marble background. Sèvres produced several images of Franklin but made only a few plates in this neoclassical pattern, of which this is the only one known to exist. Franklin was the first American ambassador to France, where he was beloved for his wisdom and diplomacy. He embraced French culture, and after his return to Philadelphia in 1785 promoted French taste in household furnishings in Federal America.