A SEVRES BLEU NOUVEAU PLATE FROM THE 'COMTE D'ARANDA' SERVICE (ASSIETTE UNIE)

BLUE INTERLACED L'S ENCLOSING DATE LETTERS JJ FOR 1786, PAINTER'S MARK FOR NIQUET, GILDER'S MARK FOR VINCENT, LE JEUNE,

Details

A SEVRES BLEU NOUVEAU PLATE FROM THE 'COMTE D'ARANDA' SERVICE (ASSIETTE UNIE)
Blue interlaced L's enclosing date letters jj for 1786, painter's mark for Niquet, gilder's mark for Vincent, le jeune,
Painted with a bouquet of flowers and ripe fruit reserved within three concentric gilt bands, the last radiating stylized single flowers, the border with three shaped rectangular panels painted with similar fruit and flowers, with notched corners and edged with a gilt ciselé band, the panels linked with a wide band of gilt foliate scrolls pendant with swags and husks, gilt line rim
9¼in. (23.5cm.) diam.

Lot Essay

The present plate is from a service presented by the French crown to the Conde d'Aranda upon the completion of his tour as Ambassador of Spain to the King of France, a post which he held from 1773 until 23 September 1787. The factory sales records for September 1787 describes the decoration as Fond bleu de Roi, peint en Groupes de fleurs et fuits et riche dorure and note its total price at 43,428 livres, a not-inconsiderable sum. D'Aranda brought the service home with him and it remained in the royal palace in Madrid until 1836 at which time it was sold at auction by James Christie in his Great Rooms, St James's. Another plate in the collection of Charles-Otto Zieseniss, sold Christie's Paris, 6 December 2001, lot 210 along with lot 212, later pre-empted from sale, an sample plate or modèle d'échantillon on which the d'Aranda decoration was likely based.

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