![Dessert plate (part of The Grand Service) A set of silver-gilt plates; the reeded rim cast with fruiting vines and scallop shells. The plate is engraved with the Royal coat of arms, with supporters, mantling and coronet.](https://cmsadmin.rct.uk/sites/default/files/153834-1297497371.jpg)
The Grand Service
George IV's spectacular silver-gilt dining service and buffet
The State Banquet Given by King Edward to King Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Elena at Windsor, Nov. 18th
RCIN 700580
This print shows the glittering effect created by the Grand Service in candlelight at Windsor Castle. The image was published in the Illustrated London News following a State Banquet in 1903. Some 70 years later, Sir Roy Strong attended a banquet at Buckingham Palace and described a very similar atmosphere: 'Vast chandeliers lit the room but what was quite extraordinary were the three great buffets with displays of plate done in a manner Louis XIV would have recognised. Behind each ascended boards upholstered in deep crimson velvet, which were studded with huge pieces of gold plate and baroque wall sconces…The impact on entering can only be described as dazzling.'