Lot 223
  • 223

A PAIR OF CHINESE EXPORT ARMORIAL CHARGERS, CIRCA 1743 |

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
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Description

  • diameter 12 1/2 in.; 31.7 cm
lavishly painted in the center with the arms of Okeover quartering Byrmingham (probably) and Leake and impaling Nichol, flanked and supported by a pair of hippocampi and pennants, the rim elaborately decorated with four rococo cartouches, either inscribed with the LMO monogram or painted with a dragon crest above a crown

Provenance

Collection of Colonel Sir Ian Walker-Okeover, Bt., D.S.O.
Christie's London, March 3, 1975, lot 170
Sotheby's New York, January 30, 1986, lots 299 and 300

Condition

One in overall good condition, the other with a restored hairline at 10 o'clock measuring approx. 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm) with associated overpaint and spray area, and a small flake chip at 4 o'clock with associated overpaint on the edge of the rim. Both with minor firing imperfections and wear to the enamels and gilding.
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

Elaborately decorated, the Leake Okeover service is considered one of the greatest examples of Chinese export armorial services produced. The opulent service was made for Leake Okeover (1702-65), who married his wife Mary Nichol about 1730, but who died without heirs. His estate was passed on to his cousin, whose descendant, Sir Ian Walker-Okeover, Bt. sold around a hundred pieces of the service in March 1975; most of the following lots are from the above mentioned group.

The original painted design for the arms is the only recorded example for a complete armorial service known to survive, and still remains with the family. Illustrated in David S. Howard, A Tale of Three Cities: Canton, Shanghai and Hong Kong, London, 1997, p. 57, cat nos. 53 (original pattern) and 54 (an example from the service), the author discusses the method by which designs for armorial porcelain were conveyed to the painters and potters in China. While it was usual that seal fobs, drawings and bookplates were sent as design instructions, in the instance of the Okeover service, the design of the whole plate was included with meticulous attention to detail. This beautifully rendered service stands as the testament to the artistic abilities of both the East and the West, and as Howard, ibid, p. 57, concludes, 'there is no more faultless service of porcelain from China for the Western market'.