An Important 18th Century Meissen Plate, Ex-Sotheby's

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Directory: Antiques: Decorative Art: Ceramics: German: Porcelain: Pre 1800: Item # 936285

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The Bodhisattva Collection
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Austin
Texas

SOLD

From our European Porcelain Collection, an important and historically significant Meissen armorial plate, ex-Sotheby's, from the Munchhaussen family dinner service gifted by Augustus III to Gerlach Adolf von Munchhaussen in 1745. The decoration is executed in puce with gilt highlights, painted in the "fabletier" style of mythical beasts set against a landscape of birds and insects, all set beneath the Munchhaussen family coat of arms with a foliate scroll border on the rim. Meissen crossed swords appear in underglaze blue on the reverse, along with impressed number 16.

Size and Condition:: 9.25 inches, excellent condition:

Provenance: Sotheby's Lot 9, November 2007 Important Continental Furniture, Decorations, Ceramics and Carpets

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2012: On December 5th, 2012, Bonhams Auction House, New Bond Street, London, will be auctioning off the "Marouf Collection of Highly Important 18th Century Meissen Porcelain," and included in this sale is a companion ewer to our plate, which comes from the same rare original Munchhaussen service from 1745. Bonhams description for this ewer, Lot # 44, offered with an estimate range of 9,600 - 13,000 US dollars, is as follows:

"With the Said and Roswitha Marouf Collection, Bonhams is proud to offer for sale one of the most important private collections in the world of 18th century Meissen porcelain. The Marouf Collection has been assembled with a most discerning eye for quality and rarity and many of its pieces have been published and exhibited around the world, including the 2010 exhibition in the Japanese Palace in Dresden to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Meissen manufactory.

LOT 44: A Meissen armorial ewer and cover from the Münchhausen service, circa 1745 Painted in purple monochrome heightened in gilding with a Fabeltier vignette on each side in the manner of A.F. von Löwenfinck, one side with the coat of arms, a scrolling border below the gilt-edged rim, the scroll handle and animal spout heightened in gilding and the bearded mask terminal coloured in flesh tones, the domed cover similarly decorated, 16.8cm high, crossed swords mark in underglaze-blue (minor restoration) (2) Estimate: £6,000 - 8,000 €7,400 - 9,900 US$ 9,600 - 13,000

Footnotes Provenance: Gift of Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, to Gerlach Adolf von Münchhausen in 1745; Anon. sale, Sotheby's London, 15 July 2004, lot 22. Literature: Ulrich Pietsch, Passion for Meissen (2010), no. 80

UPDATE DECEMBER 5th, 2012: The rare Munchhausen ewer noted above from the same service as our dinner plate being offered here, sold today, December 5th, 2012, for 13,750 GBP, or approximately 22,000 US dollars.