Sold Ceramics - Sold Chine de commande - Armorial / Pseudo-Armorial wares 1700-1800 - Armorial - Dutch

Object 2011983

Teacup

China

c.1778

Height 45 mm (1.77 inch), diameter of rim 77 mm (3.03 inch), diameter of footring 35 mm (1.38 inch), weight 53 grams (1.87 ounce (oz.))

Teacup on a footring with a straight rim. Polychrome decorated in various overglaze enamels with two coats of arms accollé standing on a cloud flanked by a ship’s mast with the Dutch flag (colours reversed), an anchor, measuring instruments, a map and writing implements. Inscribed on the banderol below: 17 P:SIX C:COR:ANDRIESSEN 78. On the sides four single ‘German’ flowers, round the inner rim a saw-tooth border.

Maritime and naval emblems and instruments were popular among the Dutch (VOC) mariners who commissioned armorial porcelain. Several of them had one or more ships with the Dutch tricolour, a chart, anchor, measurement stick, sextant and so on painted along with their arms. Services inscribed with a date are an interesting category of armorial porcelain and there are at least 27. Armorial porcelain with dates was made during the whole of the 18th century, the first one was De Vassy dated 1702 and the last Arkenbout inscribed with the year 1792. (Kroes 2007, p. 64/65 & p. 69)

The arms are those of the Dutch Six and Andriessen families, both of Middelburg. After Amsterdam Middelburg was the second most important VOC Chamber. The Heeren XVII alternately gathered in both cities, after six years in Amsterdam they met for two years in Middelburg.

This service was made for Pieter Six (died 1784) and his wife Christina Cornelia Andriessen (c.1754-1834). It was presumably made soon after their marriage in 1778, probably in 1779 when Pieter Six was in the East Indies himself for the fourth time in the service of the VOC. He died on his fifth voyage to the East Indies, while he was master of the East Indiaman Ouwerkerk, four days before the ship arrived at Batavia. Though a family connection with the well-known noble Six family of Amsterdam is likely, this has not been established yet. Pieter Six’s wife Christina Cornelia Andriessen belonged to a family of Flemish origin, from about 1670 living in Middelburg. Several of them were minister of the Dutch Reformed Church and alderman.

A cup and saucer with an identical armorial design can be found in the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, please see: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.4167.

It was part of the bequest of J.G.A.N De Vries (1853-1925). He was a well-to-do individual who, in addition to collecting Chinese and European porcelain of the 18th century, had devoted himself in particular to amassing Chinese porcelain with coats of arms and other decorations after Western prints. The well-known Dutch heraldic expert R.T. Muschart (1873-1955) provided him with identifications of the coats of arms and also used the data from the porcelain for his own research. Nearly all the Dutch armorial porcelain in the Rijksmuseum’s collection was part of the De Vries bequest. He was also author of one of the earliest publications on Chinese porcelain in the Netherlands. (Vries 1923)

Kroes clearly states that the Six-Andriessen cup and saucer in the Rijksmuseum are the only documented pieces of a tea service so far. This chocolate cup can therefore be considered very rare.

For the identically decorated cup and saucer, please see:

Condition: Wear to the decoration, two fleabites, two (restored) frits and two hairlines to the rim. A shallow frit to the footring.

References:

Vries 1923

Jörg & Van Campen 1997, p.18, cat. 215 & cat. 372

Kroes 2007, pp.64-65, 69, 435-436, 613, cat. no. 357

http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.4167

Price: Sold.