| Title | Sèvres Dish |
| Artist/Maker | National Manufacture of Sèvres |
| Date | 1753-54 ca. |
| Medium | Porcelain |
| Dimensions | h. 5.5 x w. 12.5 x d. 7.5 in. (h. 14 x w. 31.8x d. 19.1 cm) |
| Credit Line | U.S. Senate Collection |
| Accession Number | 46.00013.001 |
On December 27, 1888, the Senate Pages (from the 50th Congress, 2nd Session) presented this Sèvres dish to "Capt. and and Mrs. Bassett" in honor of their Golden (50th) Wedding Anniversary. Isaac Bassett (1819-1895) married Adeline Virginia Hurdle (1820-1897) on December 27, 1838.
Isaac Bassett began his Senate career in December 1831, at the age of 12, when he was appointed by Daniel Webster to serve as the institution's second page. Promoted to messenger in 1838 and to assistant doorkeeper in 1861, Bassett worked in the Senate Chamber, attending nearly every legislative session until his death in 1895. He was deeply esteemed by senators and fellow employees alike for his discreet, faithful, and dedicated service.
The rectangular soft-paste porcelain dish features a central hand painted image of a young man and woman in a garden. The outer rim of the dish has two floral hand painted panels on a celestial blue background. The dish is mounted in an ormolu (gilt bronze) frame with twin scroll handles and raised on four foliate scroll feet. Descended through the family, the Sèvres dish was given to the Senate in 1989 by Anjanette Vail Van Horn (great-great-granddaughter of Isaac Bassett).
