Porcelain services that were produced during the Rococo period, roughly aligning with the reign of Louis XV of France from 1715 to 1774, included a variety of shapes or molds of dishes for use during savory and sweetmeat courses.
These white areas in the center and around the edges of the dish would form the space for artists to hand paint cartouches, or images, often modeled after classical allegorical motifs, on the finished mold after firing.
They were then brought to a warming kitchen, where food was prepared on the dishes, before being sent to the dining room or other service area, perhaps a bedchamber, ballroom, or hermitage or retreat building.
A dumbwaiter was a relatively simple mechanical elevator, often powered by a pulley or simple steam powered mechanism, which carried the food courses and other utensils and accoutrements from the ground level, which typically contained the warming kitchen so that food could be brought inside from an outdoor cooking kitchen, to the level of the service area, where servants would then serve the dishes to the participants in the dining area.
At the upper surface of each of these elevators within the table, known as a thief, a small chalkboard and piece of chalk would be placed to allow each participant of the meal to write down their food requests from the menu.
This obviated the need for servants in the dining room or other service area, which could be considered beneficial if the participants of the meal wanted greater privacy, particularly if classified information was being discussed.
On occasion, the porcelain belonging to one palace, castle, or house might be insufficient to serve a large number of guests at a special event.