By the mid-eighteenth century Sèvres had become the leading manufactory of porcelain in Europe and its decorative exuberance and technical virtuosity were unsurpassed. The Sèvres porcelain collected by George IV between 1783 and 1830 epitomised his taste for the rare, the exotic and the extravagant, as can be seen on the pieces from this service, painted with colourful chinoiserie scenes.