AN EXTREMELY RARE AND IMPORTANT CHINESE EXPORT ARMORIAL GOOSE-FORM TUREEN AND COVER FOR THE SPANISH MARKET, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD, CIRCA 1775 |

naturalistically and boldly modeled in two sections, the raised head supported by a long curving neck, the body finely enameled with sepia plumage, the folded wings molded with overlapping feathers in green, iron-red, rose, and crimson, with details picked out in gilt, the webbed feet tucked under the body, the arms of José de Gálvez y Gallardo painted on the chest within a circular reserve

Collection of Mme Espirito Santo, Lisbon
Heirloom & Howard, February 1976 

Ricardo Espirito Santo Silva, J. A. Lloyd Hyde and Eduardo Malta, Chinese Porcelain for the European Market, Lisbon, 1956, pl. VII and on dust-jacket.
Michel Beurdeley, Porcelain of the East India Companies, London, 1962, pl. XVII.
Mary Salgado Lobo Antunes, Porcelanas da China - Chinese Porcelain, Colecção Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva, Lisbon, 2000, p.68

The tureen has one foot off (as illustrated), but is otherwise in overall good condition with only minor expected wear to the surface (including small losses to the enamel). The cover has several restored breaks (particularly at the back half of the body and at the head) with associated re-touching and over-spray.
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.

The arms that adorn this tureen, first identified by Michel Beurdeley, are those of José de Gálvez y Gallardo, 1st Marquis of Sonora. Beurdeley notes that even though the Madrid Museums have few Chinese export wares, two examples from the collection enabled him to identify the armorial. The inscription on the tureen reads ARMAS DELEX MOSE NORGALVEZ, but it instead should read ARMAS DEL EXMO SENOR GALVEZ, which translates to (The Arms of his Excellency Senor Galvez). This is an unintentional mistake of the Chinese artist in copying the handwritten instructions that accompanied the commission. Instances of such mistakes are rare, however, many have been documented by Shirley M. Mueller, ‘Chinese Export Porcelain Curiosities’, Oriental Art, Vol. XLVI No. 1, 2000, pp. 16-27, including notable examples such as the Dobree service on which the name of the colors of the coat of arms were erroneously copied directly onto the finished service, and also the Haldane service, on which the entire bookplate border was copied meticulously onto the porcelain.
For additional examples bearing the arms and a biography of José de Gálvez y Gallardo, see Rocío Díaz, Chinese Armorial Porcelain for Spain, London, 2010, cat. no. 35. Gálvez was born in Macharaviaya in Malaga, Spain in 1720, into a prestigious family of which his brother, as well as his father, was the Viceroy of New Spain. Trained as a lawyer, he worked in the French embassy in Madrid, and was one of the last Spaniards to have purchased a post in the Indies in 1750. He ultimately secured the position of Inspector General of New Spain between 1765 and 1771, when he participated and oversaw numerous initiatives such as the Sonora expedition and colonization of California through Franciscan missions. He was later recognized for his efforts and granted the title of Marquis of Sonora.