These tureens form part of the most important dinner-service ever produced by the Fürstenberg manufactury, and the greater part of it is now in the Royal Collection. Described as 'Gravierte Tafel Service, so mit bunten Prospekten, Purpur Blumen und Girlanden mit goldenen Blaettern, incl. Staffir un Baroc: Rand Vergoldung', it cost 841 Reichsmarks 12 groschen and was delivered to the Hochfurstlich Porzellan Lager in August 1773.
From the way the costs are broken down it is clear that the various decorative elements were carried out by different artists. However the Prospekten were drawn and executed by Johann Friedrich 'Pascha' Weitsch (1723-1803). A corporal in the Brunswick forces in the Seven Years War, he was released from military service in 1758 by the Duke and joined the Fürstenberg manufactury as a colour painter, where he became the leading painter of his day. Many of his preparatory drawings still survive in the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in Braunschweig.
The 'Gravierte' pattern was modelled by J.C. Rombrich. The '2 ditto terrinen no.1 at 21 Reichsmarks 6 Groschen' each recorded in the original invoice of 1773 with their stands at 10 Reichsmarks each clearly refers to the present lot.
For details of the service see S. Ducret, Das Fürstenberger Porzellan, Vol. II, pp. 80 seqq, and for a similar tureen in the collection of H.M. The Queen at Windsor Castle and exhibited at the Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Münster (4th December 1988 - 8th February 1989) and the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig (9th March 1989 - 7th May 1989), see B. Wolf-Metternich et al., 'Weisses Gold aus Fürstenberg' Catalogue (1988), pp. 174-185, no. 52.