A very rare Chinese porcelain French-decorated armorial plate 18th century

A very rare Chinese porcelain French-decorated armorial plate 18th century, the basket-moulded centre within a pierced rim, originally painted with famille rose flowers in the European style, within a gilt spearhead border, later-enamelled with a small French armorial to the centre of one flower, ten small white billets on a blue enamel shield for the family of de Robien, 23.3cm.

Provenance: the Helen Espir Collection, no. 900. Purchased from Jorge Welsh, December 2005.

Cf. European Decoration on Oriental Porcelain, p.153, pl.3. Also Antoine Lebel, French and Swiss Armorials on Chinese Export Porcelain of the 18th Century, p.127 for a charger from the same service. By repute, the original order of an armorial service from China was lost at sea. So a standard famille rose service was bought to replace it and the armorial added by a French enameller.

Paul-Christophe-Céleste de Robien (1731-99) became a councillor of the Parlement of Brittany in 1750.