CHESME PALACE
The Neo-Gothic estate inhabits the site of a "frog marsh," which gave the castle its emblem and the dinner service its time.
Commissioned in 1773, the 952-piece Frog Service was an astounding work even for Josiah Wedgwood, whose creamware glazes already had earned him a fan in one royal, Britain's Queen Charlotte. But it would take an empress to present him with one of his most challenging assignments. Catherine the Great of Russia did nothing by halves. She ruled over a massive empire and had an acquisitive streak to match, buying Old Master paintings by the hundreds and collections such as Voltaire's library outright. The Frog Service was meant for a minor palace, but what Catherine ordered was daunting: each piece was to display scenes from English estates, requiring 1,224 illustrations. It would be one of the most expensive collections Wedgwood would create-and the closest to England the Empress would ever get. Now Wedgwood has reissued for sale a selection of plates from the pattern. They retain all their Georgian allure and will bestow the same regal charm, no matter how minor your palace.
FAITHFULLY EXECUTED
A plate with a view of Windermere lake is part of Wedgwood's Empress Collection, recreated from Catherine the Great's original ceramic service (above); $2,500 for a set of six, 877-900-9973.
