A CHINESE EXPORT SHIPPING PLATE FOR THE PORTUGUESE MARKET CIRCA 1825

painted in the center with a three-masted ship flying the Portuguese flag and a pennant initialled MAS, within a blue enamlled Greek-key pattern border around the rim.

The plate has been broken in half across the center, and one half has is further broken in two pieces of unequal size. There are restored chips and breaks to the rim at each end of the main break - the restoration is old and discolored.
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.

The present plate depicts the ship 'Brillante', owned by the Macao-based merchant Miguel Alves Sousa. The majority of the service is now at the Winterthur Museum and a tureen is illustrated by Palmer, 1976, col. pl. 12, where the author notes on p. 109 that "according to family tradition, the service was not used by Souza [sic] but was ordered by his granddaughter and her husband in his honor" and that it may possibly date as late as 1840. Winterthur records note that the service was sold in Hong Kong in 1928 by a great granddaughter of Sousa and that Henry du Pont purchased 140 pieces of the service from J. A. Lloyd Hyde in November 1928, with further purchases in 1929 and 1931. A plate from the service, one of the few pieces not in a museum collection, was sold at Christie's, London, June 18, 2002, lot 351.