Seafood salad plate. Porcelain with enamels and gilt decoration. The colors were applied using chromolithographic and decalcomania processes. Afterwards, decorators painted the plate with enamel colors to add shading and to enhance the design. Finally, the edges were gilt. The plate is molded into the shape of an open crab shell. Gilt feet on the underside, molded like lobster claws, add support. The surface design features an ocean scene with a crab and a sea snail scavenging on the shore while a lobster emerges from the incoming waves. In the background are faint sihlouettes of fishing and sailing vessels. The nature of the design suggests the contents of the dish upon which it would be served.