A CHINESE EXPORT GROUP OF A EUROPEAN COUPLE circa 1760-80

the lady wearing an iron-red-lined blue veil, a puce bodice over a green blouse and gilt-sprigged green and yellow skirt, holding a rose scarf in her left hand, and her companion wearing a black tricorn and breeches, and an iron-red coat, his right arm around her shoulders, and each clasping a posy in one hand and standing amidst two large blossoms on the green- and brown-striated oval rocky mound base.  Some restorations and minor imperfections.

The collection of William Martin-Hurst, England
Sold, Sotheby's, Monte Carlo, March 14, 1984, lot 120
Charles H. Perry, Atlanta, Georgia, February 21, 1987

San Francisco, Fall Antiques Show, 1995
New York, International Asian Art Fair, 2002

George C. Williamson, The Book of Famille Rose, pp. 132 and 141-149, and pl. XLI (bottom, left)

Restoration to two back hat corners with wear to the gilding, hands and cuffs on both figures restored and overpainted, left hem of his coat with a 1/8 inch chip, large blossom on base near her right foot restored, tiny chips on other blossom, a 5/8 inch chip on footrim behind her and a 1/4-inch to footrim behind him, 1 1/4-inch restored area at front edge of the base by his left foot.
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.

Two versions of this group are known, both of which must have been inspired by the same design source, a subject that has been widely discussed by scholars.  Representations of Dutch or other European ladies and gentlemen recur in Chinese export art: in the Kangxi period (1662-1722), Dutch families and other figural groups were produced in blanc-de-Chine at the Dehua kilns, two examples of which are illustrated by Howard and Ayers, Vol. I, p 94, nos. 55 and 56.  The somewhat later type of famille-rose couple seen here was published by Williamson (see Literature above) as a 'Governor Duf' [or 'Duff'] group (Diederik Durven or Duiver [d. 1740] and his wife Anna Catharine de Roo [d. 1741]) and discussed at length.  However, this attribution is now thought to be unjustified, because as the Governor-General of the Dutch East India Company from 1729 to 1732, Durven (called 'Duff' by the Chinese) was known to have exploited the Chinese and probably would not have been a popular subject for commemorative figures.  Groups of this model also have been called 'The Frisian Couple' after a popular decoration on Chinese export porcelain wares from the early part of the eighteenth century, seen on the bowl, lot 135.  Inasmuch as the subject appears both as figural groups and on wares, it must have been based on a print, but the original has not been discovered.

Both versions of this group, of which the present example is the earlier and more refined, are illustrated by Sargent: the earlier model on p. 219, no. 105, and the later on p. 221, no. 106, which forms the pair to the dancers being offered as lots 217 and 218.  On p. 218, fig. 105a, the author also illustrates an Imari plate showing the same couple with the comment that such designs and groups "must represent a general impression of a European couple rather than specific individuals."  He also remarks that "the variations on the popular motif, commonly found in prints and known as the 'Sailor's Farewell,' may be another modification on this theme."

An example of the later model is illustrated by Beurdeley, p. 21, color pl. V; and another in white, undecorated porcelain is illustrated by Krahl and Harrison-Hall, p. 79, no. 31, which they suggest on p. 78 "may be one of the pieces sent [from Jingdezhen] to Canton to be decorated there, but mistakenly sent to Europe unpainted."  A virtually identical example is illustrated by Howard and Ayers, Vol. II, p. 617, no. 647, and was in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Rafi Y. Mottahedeh, sold in these rooms on October 19, 2000, lot 409.  A pair of groups of this model, formerly in the collection of the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Middleton, M.C., sold at Christie's in London on May 25, 2964, lot 148; was sold subsequently in those rooms on March 31, 1983, lot 740.