An Italian Piqué-work gold and mother-of-pearl inlaid tortoiseshell dish Naples, circa 1740

of oval serpentine outline, with a cavetto scalloped border decorated with hybrid shell and fish motifs, framing central scene of male figure under baldachin welcoming a lady with attendants on Oriental rocky landscape, interspersed with light foliage and ho-ho birds

In overall good conserved condition. The size of this dish is extremely rare and its quality is remarkable. Approximately 95% is in original condition. Some areas of the tortoiseshell have an opaque finish which will disappear once the dish is lit from behind which will illuminate its exceptional beauty. Minor repairs to the border and two very minor repairs to bottom border. Very minor losses to inlay as visible in the catalogue photograph and very minor restorations commensurate with age.
"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."

Designs for Neapolitan piqué objects were often inspired by North-European prints and are therefore occasionally repeated. This unusual large dish has its central scene with a lady and attendants holding a parasol, a popular theme in Chinoiserie compositions throughout Europe, famously used by Cornelis Pronk in Chinese porcelain. The source for many of these Chinoiserie designs was Johan Neuhof's illustrated account of the first Dutch East-Indies embassy to China published in Amsterdam in 1655 (Het Gezantschap der Neêrlandtsche Oost-Indische Compagnie). The German ornamental designer Paul Decker (1677-1713) plagiarised a number of Neuhof's engravings in his pattern book, `Camin, Tabacks, Büchsen and Tischblatt Modelle'  and used the figures standing on “islands” feature, as seen in the central panel of this tray, as well as the lady with parasol (fig.1). Related designs can be seen in other important piqué trays such as the example in the Rothschild collections at Waddesdon Manor (de Bellaigue, 233, p.830). The exact same three island composition of the present lot was used on the lid of a perfume box from Miss D.G. Griffiths' collection, sold Sotheby’s, 6 March 1961, lot 174. (fig.2), although lacking the extremely unusual shell motifs seen on the cavetto frieze of the dish here presented.

This particular serpentine shape was used regularly in porcelain at the time, namely in the manufacture of Capodimonte. This outline can be seen, for example, in an impressive dish attributed to Giuseppe Sarao depicting the Triumph of Apollo (Private Collection, illustrated in L’Arte della Tartaruga: le opera dei Musei napolitani e la donazione Sbriziolo-De Felice, Museo Duca di Martina, 1994-1995, p.31.)  but also in two other recently sold dishes, one with Sotheby's New York, 27 January 2011, lot 480 ($122,500) and one other from the collections of Viscounts Bearsted, Christie's London, 5th December 2013, lot 49 (£55,000). A piqué tray with a central panel with islands was sold in Paris, 9th October 2013, lot 178 with Artcurial for €200,066.

For further information on piqué technique and literature, please see lot 19.