CIRCA 1712-20, BLUE PAK MARK FOR PIETER KOCX

Details

A DUTCH DELFT BLUE AND WHITE ARMORIAL PLATE (DE GRIEKSCHE A FACTORY)
CIRCA 1712-20, BLUE PAK MARK FOR PIETER KOCX
Painted with the coat of arms of the Wentworth family within a foliate and floral lappet border (very minor rim chips)
8 ¾ in. (22.1 cm.) diam.

Provenance

With Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam.

Literature

Robert D. Aronson and Suzanne M.R. Lambooy, Dutch Delftware Including selections from a Distinguished Manhattan Collector, Amsterdam, 2009, pp. 64-65, no. 40.

Special notice

These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

Brought to you by

Victoria Drummond

vdrummond@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2699

Lot Essay

The inscription 'honi soit mal qui y pense' (shame upon him who thinks evil of it) within a representation of a garter is the motto of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. The motto 'En Dieu est tout' (In God is all) is the motto of the Wentworth family of Woolley in West Yorkshire. This dish was most probably commissioned by Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (2nd creation) (1672-1739), who was created a Knight of the Garter in 1712 and was the great-nephew of the statesman Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1st creation) (1593-1641). Thomas Wentworth was a diplomat and First Lord of the Admiralty (1712-14). In 1711 he became Earl of Strafford and the Duke of Strafford in 1722. As a soldier in the service of King William III he rose to the rank of colonel of dragoons and then under Queen Anne he became an envoy to Berlin from 1705 to 1711. He then transferred to The Hague, where he was British Ambassador to the Dutch Republic until 1714¹. In 1708 he purchased Stainborough Hall in Yorkshire. He renamed it Wentworth Castle and embarked on a program of expansion and improvements which were completed in 1730. This plate may have formed part of a service for use at the castle.

1. See Robert D. Aronson and Suzanne M.R. Lambooy, ibid., 2009, pp. 64-65 for a fuller discussion of Thomas Wentworth's diplomatic career.

More from Centuries of Style: Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes

View All