Live Auction 18370Russian Art
A PORCELAIN IMPERIAL ARMORIAL PLATE
Lot 218

A PORCELAIN IMPERIAL ARMORIAL PLATE

CHINA, GUANCHZHOU, QIANLONG PERIOD, CIRCA 1740S

Closed23 November 2020

Price Realised

GBP 18,750

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A PORCELAIN IMPERIAL ARMORIAL PLATE
CHINA, GUANCHZHOU, QIANLONG PERIOD, CIRCA 1740S
Circular, the centre painted with the Imperial double-headed eagle holding a sceptre and orb, surmounted by the Imperial crown, the rim with gilt foliate scrolls, lattice design and stylised flower heads, apparently unmarked, with red inventory number of the Winter Palace
9 1/8 in. (23.2 cm.) diameter

Galerie Popoff; Christie's, London, 12-13 October 2009, lot 169.
Acquired at the above sale by the previous owner.

Specialist note

This plate originally belonged to a set of plates produced in the Guanchzhou porcelain workshops for the Russian Imperial court. This was the second porcelain service featuring Russian heraldic symbols to be produced in China, the first being a set of apothecary vessels commissioned by Peter the Great around 1720 to furnish the chemists he had recently established.

Trade relations between Russia and China developed steadily after 1727, when a trade agreement between the two nations facilitated the movement of goods across their borders. Expeditions to discover the 'secret' of Chinese porcelain were common at this time, and it is possible that this plate was one of the items brought to Russia for analysis by experts keen to unlock the secrets of Chinese porcelain production.