Lot 3
  • 3

A CHINESE EXPORT ARMORIAL WINE COOLER CIRCA 1720

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description

  • height 4 5/8 in.
  • 11.8 cm
the cylindrical body painted on the front and reverse in underglaze-blue and gold with the Royal Arms of France as borne by Louis XV encircled by the collars of the Orders of Saint-Michel and Saint-Esprit interrupting a floral-scroll border around the rim, the sides applied with grotesque-mask handles flanked by a branch of prunus blossoms and pomegranates and a gourd in a dish supported by a lotus sprig repeated on the interior beneath a diaper border around the rim.

Provenance

Louis Philippe, Citizen King (1773-1850, r. 1830-48)
Private collection, by descent

Exhibited

New York, International Asian Art Fair, 2002

Condition

Good condition.
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.

Catalogue Note

This elaborate French royal service must have been very large and comprehensive, as pieces are known ranging from saucer dishes and covered vessels of various shapes sizes and functions to spice boxes, cruet stands, candlesticks and even a bidet, and many were modeled directly from French silver or ceramic shapes.  Presumably ordered for Louis XV (1710-74) by Philippe II, Duc d'Orléans (1674-1723), the Regent of France (1715-22), whose arms appear on contemporary and related pieces (such as the vase illustrated by Beurdeley, p. 105, color pl. XX), or by some other high member of the court, it is unclear whether the service ever reached its intended royal recipient.  As noted by Fuchs, p. 93, who illustrates a covered circular tureen, p. 92, no. 53, "the service does not appear in the royal inventories of 1718, 1729 or 1775, suggesting it either was owned by the [young] king and disposed of at some point before being inventoried, or was bought as a gift for the king but never delivered" to him.  

A 7¾-inch saucer dish from this service is illustrated by Howard, 1994, p. 51, no. 21.  A tripod bowl and a slightly larger cylindrical wine cooler decorated with two versions of these arms are illustrated by Beurdeley, p. 193, cats. 186 and 187, who suggests that the latter might have been decorated in Holland, as evidenced by its thin enamels and the 'regularity' of the gold motifs.  On p. 207, cat. 243, Beurdeley illustrates a further wine cooler or ice pail of a different shape but similarly decorated and known to have been made by the Samson Factory of Paris in the late 19th or early 20th century, which suggests that although it was no longer in royal possession, much of this service must have remained in France during the two centuries after its production, and may even have been accessible to the public, among whom it had became sufficiently prized to inspire Samson to reproduce a number of interesting forms.

A wine cooler of this size was in the collection of Pauline K. Cave, sold in these rooms on November 16, 1984, lot 81; and a larger example sold at Sotheby's in London on June 7, 1998, lot 401, was subsequently in the collection of Benjamin F. Edwards III, sold at Christie's in New York on January 22, 2003, lot 73.  An 18¾-inch dish and a bidet with these arms were in the same collection, sold at Christie's in New York on January 20, 2004, lots 147 and 148, respectively.