A rare Meissen two-handled écuelle, cover and stand, circa 1735-38

of circular form set with branch handles, each piece applied with swags of flowers in high relief tied with bows, the interior of the écuelle gilt, the inside of the cover and the stand painted with a circular purple-camaïeu landscape scene against a gilt floral border, the underside of the saucer with four gilded flower sprigs, crossed swords mark in underglaze-blue to écuelle and stand,

Christie's Geneva, 13th November 1989, lot 112;
With Elfriede Langeloh, Cologne.

Related literature
H. Syz et al., Catalogue of The Hans Syz collection, vol. I, Washington, 1979, pp. 272-273, no. 172, for a cup, cover and stand, without puce landscape medallions;
S. Wittwer, 'Liasons Fragiles, Exchanges of Gifts between Saxony and Prussia in the Early Eighteenth Century' in Fragile Diplomacy, Meissen Porcelain for European Courts ca. 1710-63., New York, 2007, pp. 100-101;
M. Cassidy-Geiger, The Arnhold Collection of Meissen porcelain, 1710-50, London, 2008, pp. 537-538, no. 256, for another example of this form.

Given the fragility of this piece, the overall condition is very good. The applied decoration has only very few minute scattered chips. The stand has some wear to the gilding in the centre. No other damage noted.
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This exquisite form is associated to porcelain tea services of Sophia Dorothea, Queen consort to Frederick William I of Prussia and Maria Josepha, Electress of Saxony and Queen of Poland, consort to Augustus III.

Dr. Wittwer, op. cit., illustrates pieces from this service (fig. 5-13), now in the collection of the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin and reproduces passages from Kändler's work records for November 1735 in which the modeller meticulously describes creating white roses, leaves, buds and bouquets for bouillon cups, saucers and covers, '...so natural that the seem to have thorns on them'. A similar entry by Kändler for May and June 1738 refers to a complete service, and an entry for September 1739 as 'the little-flower service for Her Royal Majesty' (p.101).

Pieces belonging to this service or a related service have infrequently appeared at auction during the 20th century. A selection of pieces were in the collection of Georg Spiegelberg, Hannover, sold Rudolph Lepke's Kunst-Auctions-Haus, Berlin, 4th-5th December 1928, lot 366, which included four vessels of this form. Another group was sold by the executors of the late Prince S. A. Radziwill, Christie's London, 4 July 1977, lot 170 and a selection of this service was in the collection of the late Siegfried and Lola Kramarsky, sold at Christie's New York, 30th October 1993, lot 31, which included two further two handled cups, covers and stands of the same form as the present lot (one of which was previously sold in the Spielgelberg sale and is the example now in the Arnhold collection), together with a teapot and cover, a square teapot stand, an oval shaped stand and a tall two-handled cup, cover and stands.

Of the documented pieces of this type it is difficult to be certain if all were part of one service. According to the literature the present piece seems to fit more closely to the Maria Josepha service.