A Meissen porcelain topographical part tea and coffee service, circa 1765-70

comprising: a coffee pot and cover, 23.5 cm. high; a teapot and cover; a hot milk jug and cover; a sugar bowl and cover; a teacaddy and cover; a slop bowl; a spoon tray; six coffee cups; eleven teacups; seventeen saucers; together with an assembled Marcolini coffee cup and three saucers; blue crossed swords and dot mark, the bowl and tea cups with blue K or W; some damages (50)

Paleis Lange Voorhout, Paleis Noordeinde

Overall in good condition with slight usual rubbing to the gilding. Some usual chips to the extremities of the flower finials. The spout of the coffeepot with a small shallow chip to the extremity (ca. 0.3 cm. wide) and a minute chip (ca. 0.2 cm. wide) to the rim of the heart-shaped lip. The handle of the teapot broken in three segments and repaired, the foot rim with a chip (ca. 0.3 cm. wide) and a shallow small chip to the underside. The milkjug with two small chips (ca. 0.2 cm. wide) to the extremity of the spout and one (ca. 0.2 cm. wide) to the upper rim, a small chip (ca. 0.3 cm. wide) to the foot rim. The cover with some leaves of the finial lacking. The spoon tray with some flakes to the green enamel of the border (from production) and a chip (ca. 0.5 cm. wide) to the outside of the rim. One coffee cup broken through the middle and restuck, with a related small border loss with discoloured repair. The tea cups with some more rubbing to the gilt upper rim, two with a hairline crack to the border (ca. 3 cm.). Some saucers with small patches of wear to the enamels from use. Circa three with some flaking to the green enamel of the border (from production). One saucer with a rim chip (ca. 1 cm. wide) and one with a hairline crack (ca. 1.5 cm.) to the border. The assembled cup and three saucers with wear to the gilt rims and one saucer broken in half and restuck. The service is illustrated on pp. 57 and 215 (instead of pp. 43 and 201) of the printed catalogue, on the bottom shelf of the porcelain cabinet in the Dining Room of Paleis Lange Voorhout.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Illustrated on pp. 57 and 215 of the printed catalogue.
Part of this service is painted with houses and gardens along the Vecht river after the engravings by Daniel Stoopendaal (1672-1726) illustrated in De Zegepraalende Vecht, Vertoonende verscheidene Gesichten van Lustplaatsen, Heeren Huysen en Dorpen; Beginnende van Utrecht en met Muyden besluytende (The Triumphant Vecht River), Amsterdam 1719.
The Vecht-scenes can be related to an extensive Meissen dinner service produced in circa 1772-74 for stadholder Willem V (1748-1806) as a gift from the Dutch East India company (VOC). The topographical views of the royal service are taken from a great variety of print sources, which include also scenes from De Zegepraalende Vecht. The dinner service and its sources are discussed in A.L. den Blaauwen, The Meissen Service of Stadholder Willem V, Apeldoorn/Zwolle 1993. The service in relation to royal dinners is discussed by A.M.L.E. Erkelens, "'Te gast gaan en te leeren', Het Meissen servies van stadhouder Willem V", in: Antiek, 28 (1993) 2, pp. 14-23. Another Meissen dinner service decorated with scenes from the Vecht river, presumably inspired by the stadholder service, is identified by Den Blaauwen (op. cit., pp. 34, 36).