TWO CHINESE EXPORT PORCELAIN EUROPEAN SUBJECT PLATES, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD, CIRCA 1755 |

each with gilt vine and spearhead boarders, one painted in the center with a European couple in landscape under a tree with the huntsman holding a gun and two hounds by the couple's feet, the other also depicting a European couple, in a fenced garden with a third figure peering from a window in the background

The plate with the European couple and small hound in overall good condition, and plate with three figures with a flake chip to the underside rim, and smaller scattered glaze flakes, and also with very minor and typical crazing to the glaze. Both with very minor stacking wear and minor firing imperfections, and the gilding and enamels in overall good condition.
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.

Both subjects, as with many other Chinese export European subject plates, are presumably copied from European engravings. The source print for the plate decorated with the Europeans and hounds does not appear to have been identified. An identical plate is illustrated in François and Nicole Hervouët and Yves Bruneau, La Porcelaine des Compagnies des Indes, à Décor Occidental, Paris, 1986,cat. no. 3.16. Examples en grisaille are also known. The source engraving for the other plate with a peering figure, however, is known. As described, and illustrated op. cit., cat. no. 9.10, the decoration is after the engraving of 'La Servante justifíee' by Nicolas de Larmessin (1684-1753), which in turn was after a painting by Nicolas Lancret, illustrating a fable of La Fontaine, which was inspired by a fable of the Queen of Navarre.