Delaney Avis Dinnerware

There is only one Avis Dinnerware set in existence. It was designed by master potter Christine Delaney for Queen Lavinia to celebrate her silver jubilee. The set was based off the book Guide to Birds which was written earlier in the century. It is a 119 piece dinner set, and each piece is hand painted with a different species of bird based on the painted copperplate illustrations. The edges of the porcelain are laced with fluted borders and trimmed in silver.
The history of the Avis Dinnerware begins fifty years prior when ornithologist Eldridge Cadden published his first pamphlet describing 60 birds found in Astoria. Each bird was accompanied by a copper print. Over the next decade, he published several more pamphlets eventually documenting all the known bird species in Astoria. Luther Fleming, a renowned artist took the pamphlets, painted the prints under Cadden's supervision, and compiled them into the work now known as the Guide to Birds.
Queen Lavinia was a great fan of birdwatching, and she commissioned the set from Delaney Porcelain. The company is currently known as Royal Porcelain due to Queen Lavinia's endorsement. Christine Delaney hand crafted each piece, and Fleming painted the birds inspired by the original copper plates. Cadden had unfortunately died by the time the set was commissioned. When it debuted at the jubilee dinner, Lavinia was said to have been rendered speechless at the delicate artistry of the set. It was used again for the coronation of King Seris V.
Seventy years ago, six salad plates were stolen. It took several months and many investigative teams to track down the pieces and return them to the royal family. The dinnerware set was considered a national treasure, and there was widespread frustration that the culprit was never caught. Many believed Cantata to be behind the theft, but as usual, no one could provide enough evidence.