Limoges Mary Bacon Jones - Hand Painted Alligator Jungle Book Plate

A Rare Piece of Art History

This extraordinary hand-painted Limoges porcelain plate is one of a very small number ever produced — a true collector's treasure from the early 20th century.

Details

• Designer: Mary Bacon Jones
• Maker: William Guerin — Limoges, France
• Material: Porcelain, hand painted
• Date: 1910
• Dimensions: 11 inch diameter

The Story

Inspired by Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, this plate features the quote:

"With good luck, a keen eye, and the custom of considering whether a creek or a backwater has an outlet to it ere you ascend, much may be done." — Rudyard Kipling

Mary Bacon Jones created the designs and commissioned William Guerin of Limoges to hand-paint them on fine porcelain. It was remarkably rare for a woman in the early 20th century to create, copyright, and commission her own work — making these plates a testament to both artistic and historical significance.

Museum-Quality Rarity

Very few of these sets were ever made. A complete set of Jungle Folk Design Plates is currently housed in the Brooklyn Museum of Art.