A PAIR OF ARMORIAL CHARGERS

CIRCA 1745

Details

A PAIR OF ARMORIAL CHARGERS
CIRCA 1745
Enamelled in the center in colors and gilt with a quarterly coat-of-arms surmounted by a winged horse's head crest and surrounded by eight smaller coats-of-arms, each named in a banner below, on the well a border of gilt flowerheads and on the rim a gilt scroll-and-shell border, the backs with four gilt florettes
15¼ in. (38.8 cm.) diam. (2)

Provenance

The collection of Matthew Galbraith Perry (1794-1858), made Commodore in 1841 and commandant of the New York Navy Yard
By descent through the family
The consignor, by purchase

Lot Essay

This magnificent service, apparently unique in displaying the great-grandparents' arms, was made for either Adriaan van Reverhorst (1720-51) of the Hague, a VOC merchant at Canton, or his brother Theodorus (1706-58), a member of the VOC Court of Justice in Batavia from 1735 to 52. See J. Kroes, De Nederlandsche Leeuw, no. 11-12, pp. 305-22. Dr. Kroes notes that "the level of interest in armorial porcelain was much lower (in the Netherlands) than in Britain", with some 350 Dutch armorial identified so far, and that the "much more costly tableware" was often ordered privately by directors and other officials of the VOC. He writes that "their coats of arms obviously meant a great deal to them, signifying family ties and social status." A pair of Van Reverhorst two-handled sauceboats and covers from the collection of Benjamin F. Edwards III were sold Christie's New York, 22 January 2002, lot 168

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