Famille rose Porcelain Qianlong period (1736-1795), circa 1780, China

A famille rose masonic armorial shaped platter for the English market. Qianlong

Decorated in the famille rose palette, the center with the arms of Devan (or Deven) in a rococo cartouche, Chequy or and azure a fess gules, impaling Hellord (or Highlord), Sable a bend counter flory argent. The crest sod Devan should be A lion rampant argent ducally gorged or (here painted sable and ducally gorged). On the rim are the initials ‘M.I.D.’ and two crests, of Devan and another, similar but different, A demi lion holding between the paws a fleur-de-lis. This is not a recorded crest of Hellord, but may have been used by them. The decoration is surrounded by Masonic devices, the border painted with butterflies and entwined gilt initials.

Country:: China
Period :: Qianlong period (1736-1795), circa 1780
Material:: Porcelain
Dimension:: 14.17 in. x 10.62 in. (36 cm x 27 cm )
Reference :: D756
Status:: sold

Related works

This service is illustrated by David Howard in Chinese Armorial Porcelain, T.1, Faber & Faber, 1974, p. 644, no. T1.

For another platter, see Christie’s London, Fine Chinese Export Porcelain and Works of Art, lot 71.

For a plate of this service, from the Leo and Doris Hodroff Collection, see Christie’s NYC, Chinese Export Art Featuring the Hodroff Collection, Part IV, 17 January 2019, lot 478.

Another plate was in the Bullivant collection (Phillips, The Bullivant collection of armorial porcelain offered by direction of the Executors of the late Cecil H. Bullivant, 22 March 1988, lot 313.

See also the exhibition held in Toulouse Splendeurs Maçonniques, 2003, no. 200 (by Pierre Léoutre).

Another plate of this service is on display at the Masonic Museum in Paris (Grande Loge de France).