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Lot Essay
The centres of these dishes bear a design known as 'the generals of the Yang family'. This relates to a story from the Northern Song dynasty, when the men of the Yang family had all been killed by the invading Khitan Tartars. The women of the family therefore took up arms in defence of their country, and are shown here riding out to meet the enemy watched by the Yang family matriarch.
These dishes were part of a group of fifty dishes. This important group may be linked to the fashion for collecting Chinese art in 18th century Europe. The present group of dishes comes from the castle of Lancut in southern Poland. They bear provenance labels from this castle, and were photographed in situ in the castle in 1932-33.
Lancut castle, which was first built for Stanislaw Lubomirski in 1629-42, was converted from a fortress into a palace and park by Princess Izabela Lubomirska (1736-1816) of the Czartoryski family in the second half of the 18th century. She also filled the castle with works of art, and it became one of the grandest residences in Poland. With the help of the architect Vincenzo Brenna, in the early 1780's she created a Chinese apartment of three rooms decorated with Chinese works of art in bronze, lacquer and porcelain. Although it is not yet known precisely when the current dishes entered the castle, it is most likely that they did so at the time of the construction of the Chinese apartment.
However, it is also possible that the dishes could have been bought in the early 19th century by her grandson, Count Alfred Potocki the First, heir of Lancut castle, who completed the collection he inherited with new acquisitions from the London and Paris art market.
These dishes were part of a group of fifty dishes. This important group may be linked to the fashion for collecting Chinese art in 18th century Europe. The present group of dishes comes from the castle of Lancut in southern Poland. They bear provenance labels from this castle, and were photographed in situ in the castle in 1932-33.
Lancut castle, which was first built for Stanislaw Lubomirski in 1629-42, was converted from a fortress into a palace and park by Princess Izabela Lubomirska (1736-1816) of the Czartoryski family in the second half of the 18th century. She also filled the castle with works of art, and it became one of the grandest residences in Poland. With the help of the architect Vincenzo Brenna, in the early 1780's she created a Chinese apartment of three rooms decorated with Chinese works of art in bronze, lacquer and porcelain. Although it is not yet known precisely when the current dishes entered the castle, it is most likely that they did so at the time of the construction of the Chinese apartment.
However, it is also possible that the dishes could have been bought in the early 19th century by her grandson, Count Alfred Potocki the First, heir of Lancut castle, who completed the collection he inherited with new acquisitions from the London and Paris art market.