A FINE CHINESE EXPORT ARMORIAL SOUP PLATE, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD, CIRCA 1743 |

lavishly painted in the center with the arms of Okeover quartering Byrmingham (probably) and Leake and impaling Nichol, flanked and supported by a pair of hippocampi and pennants, the rim elaborately decorated with four rococo cartouches, either inscribed with the LMO monogram or painted with a dragon crest above a crown

The Collection of Colonel Sir Ian Walker-Okeover, Bt., D.S.O., sold at Christie's London, March 3, 1975, one of lots 173-176
J. Rochelle Thomas, New York
Sotheby's New York, January 20, 1998
Henry Moog, Atlanta
Collection of Mary Porter Walsh
Sotheby's New York, January 21-22, 2000, lot 218

In overall very good condition with some minor firing imperfections including characteristic fine crazing to the glaze. The enamels are in good condition with unusually minor wear to the blue flag and red mantling on the right side.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Elaborately decorated, the Leake Okeover service is considered one of the greatest examples of Chinese export armorial services produced. The opulent service was made for Leake Okeover (1702-65), who married his wife Mary Nichol about 1730, but who died without heirs. His estate was passed on to his cousin, whose descendant, Sir Ian Walker-Okeover, Bt. sold around a hundred pieces of the service in March 1975. The original painted design for the arms is the only recorded example for a complete armorial service known to survive, and still remains with the family. Illustrated in David S. Howard, A Tale of Three Cities: Canton, Shanghai and Hong Kong, London, 1997, p. 57, cat nos. 53 (original pattern) and 54 (an example from the service),
A collection sixteen examples of various size from the service, from the collection of James F. Scott, were sold in these rooms, October 15, 2018, lots 223-232.