A CHINESE EXPORT PART DINNER SERVICE FOR THE AMERICAN MARKET: 'THE STAGG SERVICE' circa 1805

each piece painted in the center or on either side in brown monochrome with a country house view beneath the gilt initials JS within a gilt dot-and-wave-edged oval panel, the cavetto and rim with iron-red, salmon, brown and gold band borders of zigzags, stars and leaves, dots and dashes within a blue narrow band at the gilt edge, comprising: a pair of shaped oval vegetable dishes and covers.  Length 11 5/16 in.;
a pair of oval sauce tureens and covers.  Length 7 13/16 in.;
four sauceboats with daisy terminals on the handles.  Lengths 7 1/4, 7 3/8 and 7 1/2 in.;
four lozenge-shaped sauceboat stands.  Length 7 1/4 to 7 5/16 in.;
a pair of oval well-and-tree platters.  Lengths 17 3/8 and 17 7/16 in.;
an oval platter.  Length 14 9/16 in.;
an oval platter.  Length 14 3/8 in.;
a pair of oval platters.  Length 13 3/16 in.;
twenty soup plates.  Diameter 9 3/4 in.;
twenty-six dinner plates.  Diameter 9 3/4 to 9 7/8 in.;
sixteen dessert plates.  Diameter 7 9/16 in.;
six berry dishes.  Diameter 6 1/8 in. 
Minor imperfections. 90 pieces

John Stagg, Staten Island, New York, by descent to:
A Long Island, New York, Private Collector, sold, Sotheby Parke Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, November 18, 1976, lots 113 to 135 (149 pieces, including 19 covers)
Sold, Sotheby's, New York, June 30, 1984, lots 442 (68 pieces) and 443 (21 pieces)
The collection of Anita Allen, sold, Christie's, New York, January 19, 1996, lot 195

Pair of shaped oval vegetable dishes and covers: These probably had liners at one point because both covers fit a little loosely. Both dishes with slight wear to the enamel on the inner edge of the rim, and the gilding is worn on the outer edge, which has fritting, worse on one than on the other. The more fritted dish with a shallow 3/8-inch chip (a deep frit) at 5:30 o'clock on the outer rim edge; a 1 1/4-inch x 1/8-inch touched-up chipped (or deeply fritted) area on the outer rim edge; and the center of the interior with some wear to the gilding around the oval panel and the initials within the panel. The other dish with a 2/8-inch chip on the upper edge of the rim at 5:30 and 11 o'clock, and two deep frits on the outer/lower edge of the rim at 3:15 o'clock. Both covers OK other than wear to the gilding on the lower rim edge and on the knop: one knop only slightly worn, but surrounded on the cover by some grit; the other knop very worn. Pair of oval sauce tureens and covers: Both tureens with minor grit around the footrim, and very minor wear to the gilding on the handles. One tureen with a 1/16-inch chip to one of the grapes on a handle terminal, and a 3-mm. glaze pit on the edge of one panel; otherwise good. The other tureen with some wear to the edges of the gilding around each panel; a firing crack on one handle near the upper join to the body; and a 1/2-inch firing crack on the rim near one handle, visible mostly only from the interior. Both covers with slight wear to the borders at each end; one also with chips to the blue enamel in the border; otherwise OK. The other cover with wear to the gilding on the knop, a 2-mm. chip under the edge of one petal, a 3-mm. chip under the edge of another petal; and the rim with considerable wear to the gilding on the edge, a few blue enamel chips, and a 1/8-inch frit on the lower edge. Four sauceboats: All with minor wear to the gilding on the rim edge, and the gilding on the slightly fritted handles very worn. On one sauceboat the gilding on the handle is almost worn away, but that handle is the least fritted, and the gilding on the daisy terminals has either been touched up or was never burnished; the rim edge behind the handle and almost around to the center of both sides with restored chips and regilding. The second sauceboat with a 3-mm. frit on the spout edge and very slight wear to the gilding around the front panel. The third with a 2-mm. frit chip on the spout edge and another on the rim edge near the handle. The fourth with the blue enamel on the front and one side of the spout rim slightly not 'taken' in the kiln, and with a few bits of grit on one side of the body. Four sauceboat stands: All with small patches of wear around the edges of the central panel, the panels' gilt borders a little worn, and the gilding on the rim edges fairly worn on three and very worn on the fourth. Occasional minor bits of grit, and each with some grittiness around the footrim. Pair of well-and-tree platters: Both with very minor wear to the gilding on the rim edge and occasional tiny frit bubbles on the edge. One also with some small frits and burst bubbles along the inner edge of the rim; otherwise OK. The other with a 1/4-inch patch of wear to the gilding around the central panel at 11 o'clock; the edge of the rim with touching up from 10 o'clock up to 12:30 – either just regilded and lacquered or actually covering touched-up frits; and the lower edge of the rim with two adjacent 1/4-inch shallow chips at 7 o'clock. Pair of 14 9/16-inch oval platters: Both with some wear to the gilding around the rim edge. One with a few central speckles and glaze pits, but otherwise OK. The other with considerable crackling to the glaze and a few tiny glaze pits; and the rim edge with a small 1/4-inch frit at 8:30 o'clock. Pair of 13 3/16-inch oval platters: Both with wear to the gilding on the rim edge; and one otherwise OK. The other with a 1/8-inch glaze flaw at 12 o'clock on the rim edge, causing a chip in the blue enamel; and with three central speckles and two on the rim; but otherwise OK. Twenty soup plates: Most have some wear to the gilding on the rim edge – generally minor; and many with clouds of speckling on the underside, but not on the interior. The central panels and their gilt initials and borders in generally good condition. 1 – Patchy wear to the gilding on the rim edge and two small spots where the blue enamel didn't take at 4:30 o'clock. 1 – With a 3/4-inch restored chip at 8 o'clock. 1 – The rim edge with a beveled 1/2-inch chip at 6 o'clock and a shallow 1/4-inch chip at 11 o'clock with slight wear to the gilding around those; and with two small chips to the blue enamel at 3:30. 2 – The rim edge with a 5/8-inch restored chip at 6:30 o'clock. 1 – The rim edge with a narrow 1 5/8-inch restoration from 6 to nearly 7 o'clock. 1 – With a 3 7/8 x 1 3/8-inch crescent-shaped chunk beautifully repaired back into the rim from 7 to 9 o'clock. 1 – With two restored 3/8-inch adjoining chips at 10:30 o'clock 1 – With a 1/2-inch restored chip at 1 o'clock. 1 – With a 5/8-inch restored chip at 12 o'clock, a little central speckling and a small cloud of speckling on the rim at 3 o'clock. 1 – With a 1/2-inch restored chip at 2 o'clock, and a blob of blue glaze in the center at 9:30 o'clock. 1 – With four areas of restored chips: a 1 inch chip at 12 o'clock, a narrow 1 3/4-inch restoration from 1 to 2 o'clock, a narrow l-inch restoration at 2:30 and a 1/2-inch restored chip at 3 o'clock. 1 – With a 1 3/4 x 7/8-inch patch of speckling on the rim and cavetto at 6 o'clock, and a narrow 3/4-inch restored chip on the rim at 2 o'clock. 1 – With a 1/4-inch shallow chip on the upper rim edge at 10 o'clock. 1 – With a 2-inch hair crack on the rim at 1 o'clock, ending in a 1-inch T, and the rim edge with patchy wear to the gilding. 1 – The gilt edge quite worn, but otherwise OK. 4 – Generally good. Twenty-six dinner plates: The gilding on all of the rim edges generally worn away, and most with at least slight wear to the gilding in the initials and around the central panel; and many with speckling on the underside, but not on the front, other than the occasional piece of grit. 1 – With a 1/4-inch restored chip at 10:30 o'clock surrounded by a little touching up on the edge. 1 – With a 1/4-inch chip on the edge at nearly 6 o'clock 1 – With a 1/2-inch restored chip at almost 9 o'clock within a 1 x 3/4-inch cloud of speckling on the rim; some bits of grit on the front, and the underside very speckled. 1 – Wear to the gilding on the edge and around the panel and initials, otherwise OK. 1 – Very worn gilding in the center and edge; the edge with a small touch-up at 3 o'clock, and two 1/16-inch and a 3/16-inch chip flanking 12 o'clock; and the rim with a cloud of grit 1 x 1/2 inch at 12:30 o'clock. 1 – With a 1 1/2-inch touch-up along the edge from 4:30 to 5:30 o'clock, which includes a 3/8-inch chip. 1 – With a 1/4-inch frit on the edge at 9 o'clock. 1 – With a 1/8-inch restored chip on the edge at 5:30 o'clock within an inch of touching up along the edge. 1 – With about 2 inches of touching up along the edge from 7:30 to 8:30 o'clock. 1 – With the gilding worn away from the edge, but with white touching up from about 8 to 11 o'clock and a 1/2-inch restored chip at nearly 9 o'clock. 1 – With fritting all around the edge, some of it touched up, but some of the touching up has worn off; and the central gilding around the panel is very worn. 1 – With a 3/8-inch hair crack on the edge at 12 and a 1-inch touched-up area along the rim edge at 5:30 o'clock. 1 – With a faint 1 x 3/4-inch splash of speckling on the rim at 10 o'clock, otherwise OK. 9 – The gilding in the center worn in various degrees (from slight to almost gone), otherwise OK. 3 – OK. Sixteen dessert plates: All with wear to the gilding on the rim edge, and mostly worn away completely; and many with mostly minor wear to the gilding in the initials and around the central panel. 1 – With wear to the blue enamel in the border and to the central gilding; and the center with some speckling at 12 o'clock. 1 – With minor touch-ups on the edge at 2 and 8 o'clock. 1 – With a 1/2-inch hair crack on the edge at 7 o'clock and a 3-mm chip under the edge at 12:30. 1 – With a shallow 4-mm. chip at nearly 12 o'clock, and the initials quite worn. 1 – With a restored 1/8-inch chip under the rim at 9 o'clock, a 1 1/2-inch area of touching up along the edge from 1 to 2 o'clock; and the gilding in the center very worn. 1 – With a 1/4-inch hair crack on the edge at 4 o'clock, and an inch of touching up on the edge from 7:30 to 8 o'clock. 1 – With a 1/2-inch hair crack on the edge at 9 o'clock and a 4-mm. chip at 1 o'clock; and the center with patchy wear to the gilding. 1 – With a 3/8-inch hair crack on the edge at 10 o'clock and a 1/8-inch firing crack on the edge at 4 o'clock. 1 – With a 1/2-inch hair crack on the rim edge at 1:30 o'clock and a 5/8-inch restored chip at 7 o'clock. 1 - With a 1 5/8-inch hair crack on the rim at 10 o'clock. 1 – With a 4-mm. chip on the outer edge at 12:30 and a 3-mm. chip on the upper edge at 4 o'clock 1 – With a 1/16-inch chip on the outer edge of the rim at 2 o'clock; otherwise OK. 2 – With wear to the central gilding, otherwise OK. 1 – Rather speckly in the center and with some wear to the central gilding, otherwise OK. 1 – OK Six berry dishes: All with wear to the gilding on the rim edge and in the center; and with considerable speckling on the underside, but not much on the front. 1 – With a 1/4-inch original rough spot on the rim edge at 1 o'clock. 1 – With a 5/16-inch frit on the edge at 12:30; a 1/2-inch restored chip at 8 o'clock and serious wear to the gilding around the central panel. 1 – With a 3/8-inch restored chip at 8 o'clock: a few flecks of blue enamel off the border; and the glaze a little orange-peely. 1 – With a 1-inch hair crack on the rim at 1 o'clock, and only minor wear to the gilding in the center. 1 – With a 1/4-inch restored chip at 9:30 o'clock and very worn gilding around the panel. 1 – With a 5/8-inch strip of blue enamel chipped off the border at 1:30 o'clock.
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.

A pair of leaf-shaped dishes from this service is illustrated by Howard 1984, p. 113, no. C67, who supplies the date of circa 1805 for the service's manufacture based on a service of the same style "made about 1802 for Baroness Abercromby," from which an oval vegetable dish, cover and liner are illustrated by Howard 1974, p. 779, no. X1.  The author goes on to say that "the service was made for the Stagg family of Staten Island, although it is not clear for which member.  John and Thomas Stagg were builders.  John Stagg submitted bills to the New York City Council in 1771 for a new market and in 1781 for new powder houses.  Trinity Church [the oldest Episcopal parish in New York City, founded in 1697] paid Thomas Stagg for improvements in 1786.  In the city directory of 1810 a Thomas Stagg, Jr. is shown as a merchant at 345 Broadway."  Although Mr. Howard goes on to say that "it is not clear whether the mansion on the service was built by the Stagg family or whether they resided in it," the likelihood of either is not high.  The structure and its well cultivated setting, with figures strolling on the drive approaching the house, are considerably too grand for that era in the new United States, and it is far more likely that the central scene was taken from a contemporary English print.