CIRCA 1739-40, BLUE CROSSED SWORDS MARK

This coffee-pot bears the coat-of-arms of Don Luigi Reggio e Branciforte, known as the prince of Campoflorido. Campoflorido was the Spanish ambassador to Venice at the time of Crown Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony's Grand Tour of Italy between 1738 and 1740.

Pieces from a table-service have survived with a more elaborate version of the same coat-of-arms, including ermine and the Order of St. Januarius, which was established by the King of Naples on 8 July 1738 to commemorate his marriage to Princess Maria Amalia of Saxony. This armorial service is thought to have been a gift from the Crown Prince as a token of his appreciation for Campoflorido's hospitality during his visit to the Veneto in 1740. When Campoflorido was later posted to France, the duc de Luynes admired the service in use at a dinner in Campoflorido's home in Paris: 'We noted a very beautiful porcelain service which was used at both tables; it displayed the coat of arms of the ambassador; it seemed quite substantial; there are even covers to go over the plates. The Royal Prince of Poland gave him a gift and has added to it since'. For a tureen and cover from the service and further discussion of the gift see Maureen Cassidy-Geiger (ed.), Fragile Diplomacy, New York, 2007, pp. 228-230 and fig. 10-43 for the tureen.

The armorial on the present coffee-pot does not include the Order of St. Januarius, which may suggest that it belonged to a coffee-service which predated the larger table service. This may explain the reference in a letter of January 1740, in which the Saxon agent in Venice wrote to Count Brühl that he had mentioned to Prince Campoflorido that the porcelain promised to him would be ready in February. However, the table service is not mentioned in the manufactory work reports until June 1741, although it is possible that existing models were used prior to this date. Interestingly, Count Brühl then wrote to the Saxon agent in Venice in December 1740, requesting another rendering of Campoflorido's arms, since the original at Meissen had been lost (Cassidy-Geiger, ibid., New York, 2007, p. 229). It is possible that the agent's mention of porcelain in January 1740 refers to a service to which the present lot belonged and the new rendering of the arms - presumably including the Order of St. Januarius - was used for the table service some 18 months or so later. A two-handled beaker and saucer, also with the Campoflorido coat-of-arms without the Order of St. Januarius and with similar painted scenes, was offered by Bonhams, London on 6 July 2021, lot 63.