A rare Chinese armorial platter for the Spanish market (Manuel de Azlor y Urries, Conde de Azlor, Governor of Santo Domingo). Qianlong

Decorated in the famille rose palette, with flowers ans the coat of arms of Manuel de Azlor y Urries, Purpure, three sickles argent with the handle or, with five nails in saltire argent. The arms beneath a count’s coronet; on s scroll, the moto: “SANGUINE EMPTA TUEBOR”, and surrounded by flags, standards and war trophies.

Related works

Pièces from this service are rare and only few pieces look to be repertoried.

A tureen / pot-à-oille is in a private collection was published by Rocio Diaz in Chinese armorial for the Spanish market, 2010, JW Books, pp. 158/161.

For another study about this service, see also Cristina Manso Martinez de Bedoya, La Porcelana China – Su creación y las rutas de su llegada a Occidente, pp. 112/113.

Notice

Manuel de Azlor was born in Saragossa, Spain, on 18th December 1708. He was the second son of Juan Artal de Azlor y Virto de Vera, count of Guara and Josefa Cecilia de de Urries y Gurrea de Aragon, countes of Luna. In 1758 he married Petronila de Villavicencio y Villavicencio in Jerez de la Frontera. He died, with descendants in Pamplona, Spain, on 22th nd December 1787.

When he was nineteenth-years old, Azlor joined the army as a Cadet in the Dragoon Regiment of Sagunto. Two years later, in 1729, he was promoted to Captain. Azlor took part in the conquest of Oran, present-day Algeria (1732), and the Italians campaigns (Naples and Lombardy). After rising to the rank of Brigadier, he was appointed Governor and Captain General of Santo Domingo, an island in the Caribbean, and president of its Real Audiencia (Royal Hight Court of Justice) in 1758. Azlor administration was marked by shrewd social and economic policies. Economically, he was able to improve trade by encouraging the resumption of privateering in the wake of the Seven year’s War against the British, which ended in 1763. The island of Santo Domingo was the subjects of ongoing territorial disputes between France and Spain. Azlor established many new settlements that prospered because of the livestock trade with French.

In 1771, Azlor reliqueshed command of Santo Domingo and returned to Spain, where he appointed political and military Governor of Gerona.In 1780, he was appointed Vice roi and Captain General of Navarre, replacing Francisco Bucareli. He dies in the Royal Palace of Pamplona while still in office.