CIRCA 1745

Details

A grisaille and gilt 'Martin Luther' saucer
Circa 1745
Decorated to the centre with a bust-lenght portrait of Martin Luther holding a quill and a book, the rim with inscription 'Martinus Lutherus Theolog Doctor' and decorated with a band of gilt scrolling foliage, small rim chip
15.5 cm. diam.

Special notice

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Lot Essay

The decoration has been taken from an engraving by Jan Luiken (1649-1712), probably after a portrait by Cranach the Younger; it was included in a Lutheran Bible published at the beginning of the 18th century. A service with this portrait was made for the market of Protestant Holland, possibly for the bicentenary of Luther's death. For a similar example see F. Hervouet and Y. Bruneau, La Porcelaine des Compagnies des Indes a Décor Occidental, Paris, 1986, p. 272, fig. 11.45 and Christie's Amsterdam, 31 October 2006, lot 336. For an example of a teapot with this decoration see D. Howard and J. Ayers, China for the West, volume I, New York, 1978, p. 253, fig. 247.

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