Page 51 - Met Museum Export Porcelain 2003
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58. Saucer.Chinese (American market), ca. I795.Hard 57. Covered Tureen. Chinese
paste. Diam. 6/4 in. I55.9cm). Rogers Fund, 1928 (American market), early Igth
century.Hard paste. H. with cover
(28.83) io 3/4in. (27.3 cm).HelenaWoolworth
McCann Collection, Gift of Winfield
Thirty-threechestsofporcelain,including n4boxof China FoundationI,95I (51.86.334a, b)
Thisis oneof themorestrikingporcelains
for Lady Washington",werepart of the cargoof theship to emergefromtheAmericantradewith
Lady Louisa, a vesselcharteredbyA. E. van Braam China. Thefourquadrantsof theso-called
Houckgeest (1739-180o), commercial director of the Dutch Fitzhughpattern ofleavesandflowers,
East India Company;it sailedfom China aroundthe * renderedin brilliantgreenenamelss, erve
Capeof GoodHopeand arrivedin Philadelphiaon to contrastwith and accentuatethelarge
April25, 1796. Thedesignof theserviceis distinctiveand spreadeagleclutchingan olivebranchand
wasprobablyvan BraamHouckgeest'oswn. Martha a bundleofarrowsin its talons.Such
Washington'initials adornthe centerofthisplate on a porcelainsoftenfeaturetheshieldof the
gold circularreserve,fromwhichemanatethe raysof a UnitedStatesin thecenteroftheeagle's
sunburst.Theinscriptionemblazonedbelowon a banner, bodyy, et heretheshieldencloseas mono-
Decus et Tutamen Ab Illo (Agloryand deftnsefrom gram orinitials-in thiscasean M-
it), was takenfromVirgil'sAeneid. Theborderfeatures that wouldhave beenpaintedonsite
a circleoffifteenoval chainlinks,eachof whichcontains in Cantonper instructiongsiven bythe
the nameof an individualstate;the messageis of strength purchaser.
and union. Thechainlinksarefurtherencircledby a
slenderblueserpentbiting its tail, symbolizingeternity. 53
