Page 36 - Met Museum Export Porcelain 2003

40. Plate. Chinese (American market), 1785-90. Hard paste. Diam. 9 in. readily available indirectly through England.
(22.9 cm). Bequest ofJames T. Woodward, I9Io (IO.I49.I) Agents of the monopolistic British East
India Company were headquartered in
The elaborateRococo-stylecoatof arms thatJustice Samuel Chase(i74z-i8ii) of these active seaport centers, whence they
Marylandhademblazonedon his extensiveservice(fig.41) was actuallyan armorial would disseminate Chinese goods. Luxury
borrowedfromhisauntMargaretTownley.It is representedat a somewhatlargerscale items such as porcelain tea, breakfast, and
on the individualpieces(above)than was typicalonporcelainswith armorialdecora- dinner wares, as well as serving pieces,
tion. Thedelicatep, olychromefloraslprigson therimbothsoftenand complementhe were advertised by enterprising colonial
elaboratearmorial.Chasehadan importantpoliticalcareerin theearlyrepublics,erv- merchants. Still other Americans ordered
ingfirst as a Marylanddelegateto the ContinentalCongressand thenwielding his
considerablienfluenceinpersuadingotherMarylanddelegatesto votefor independence. Chinese porcelains from their London fac-
A devoutFederalist,hewas a signerof theDeclarationofIndependences,ervedas chief tors, or agents-the likely source for the
judge of theMaryland GeneralCourt,and laterbecamea contentiousUnitedStates more ambitious decorative and ornamental
SupremeCourtjustice,oftenabusinghispositioninfavor ofardentpartisanship.
pieces. Moreover, overseas residents and
Opposite travelers placed orders through agents in
41. Dinner, Tea, and Coffee Service. Chinese (American market), I785-90. England for porcelains to be sent to their
Hard paste. L. of largest platter (.216) 8 3/4in. (47.6 cm). Bequest of James T. families and friends in America.
Woodward, I9I0 (IO.I49.I-.247)
The repertoire of Chinese porcelains for
This maybeoneof thelargestsetsof Chineseexportporcelainsurviving in sucha the European trade found in an American
great quantityofpieces.Therewereat least250, and theservicecompriseddozensof context expanded during the 1730s and
plates and soupplates, teacups,and coffeecups,plus a wide varietyofplatters,bowls, 1740s to include brown-glazed, grisaille,
covereddishes,and otherservingpieces.Among the moreunusualindividualformsis and overglazed enameled wares, in addition
that of thesmallpuddingdishes.SamuelChasemayhave commissionedthespecial- to the still popular underglaze blue and
orderserviceon the occasionof his marriageto Hannah Kilty Giles in 1784. The white pieces. By the mid-eighteenth century
inventoryrecordedafterChase'sdeathlisteda "dinnerserviceof china,white andgold wealthy American colonial families, such as
with a coatof arms. the Bulls of Charleston (fig. 23) and the
Verplancks of New York(fig. 38), owned fine
porcelains comparable to the grand table
services in England. Porcelains such as
these demonstrate the popularity in
America of the kind of floral patterns that
were very much in favor with the English
and Continental markets. Infact, since floral
designs were equally favored on both sides
of the Atlantic, it is often difficult to assign
such porcelains to a particularmarket.

Armorial decorations were standard on

eighteenth-century Chinese wares for the
British and Continental markets. Although
services personalized for Americans were
not prevalent until after the United States
entered into direct trade with China in 1784,
armorial porcelains may have been here by

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