The firm Royal Bonn had its origins in the eighteenth century when by order of the Elector of Cologne, Clemens August of Cologne, the factory Kurfürstliche Fayencerie Poppelsdorf (Poppelsdorf Faience Fabrique) was founded in 1755 to discover the secret recipe of porcelain. Two years later, when no results had been achieved, Clemens August withdrew his support and there began a long period of multiple and varying ownerships of the business culminating in the involvement of the Mehlem brothers, Paul Joseph Mehlem and Everhard Joseph Mehlem, in 1836, who renamed the business after their own name, eventually using that of their Father, Franz Anton. After the death of the last remaining member of the family, Everhard, in 1865, the business was taken over yet again, still though retaining the family name, until it was sold to Villeroy and Boche in 1920. Shortly after this, the production of fine porcelain ceased and the factory closed in 1931.

The form of the mark here was used between 1885 and 1920 and this set was probably made in the early years of the twentieth century. The quality of the porcelain is easily appreciated and this is a highly decorative set which could also have a practical value today.