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Lot Essay
The present dishes are 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.
Since then, pieces have appeared on the market. A 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. Another plate from the Pompey Collection sold Christie's, New York, 23 May 2002, lot 56.
See David Peters, Sèvres Plates and SAervices of the 18th Century, 2005, vol. IV, 87-7 for a complete discussion of this diplomatic gift.
Michel-Gabriel Commelin, recorded at Sèvres as a flower painter 1768-1802, painted serveral pieces.
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.
Since then, pieces have appeared on the market. A 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. Another plate from the Pompey Collection sold Christie's, New York, 23 May 2002, lot 56.
See David Peters, Sèvres Plates and SAervices of the 18th Century, 2005, vol. IV, 87-7 for a complete discussion of this diplomatic gift.
Michel-Gabriel Commelin, recorded at Sèvres as a flower painter 1768-1802, painted serveral pieces.