A LARGE ASSEMBLED MEISSEN PORCELAIN PART DINNER SERVICE IN THE 'GELBER LÖWE' PATTERN

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A LARGE ASSEMBLED MEISSEN PORCELAIN PART DINNER SERVICE IN THE 'GELBER LÖWE' PATTERN

MOST PIECES CIRCA 1740, BLUE CROSSED SWORDS MARKS, SOME WITH DOTS AND CIRCA 1760, VARIOUS PRESSNUMMERN

Details

A LARGE ASSEMBLED MEISSEN PORCELAIN PART DINNER SERVICE IN THE 'GELBER LÖWE' PATTERN
MOST PIECES CIRCA 1740, BLUE CROSSED SWORDS MARKS, SOME WITH DOTS AND CIRCA 1760, VARIOUS PRESSNUMMERN
Each painted in the Kakiemon style with a prowling tiger among bamboo, the border molded with various basketweave patterns and painted with flower sprays and insects, comprising: two oval tureens and covers on paw feet, the putto finials with spilling pierced baskets of flowers; two smaller oval tureens and covers on paw feet, the putto finials with cornucopia overflowing with flowers; two sauceboats; twelve graduated round platters in three sizes; three small round dishes, three large oval platters; three small oval platters; a pair of bowls and covers; forty-four soup plates; seventy plates; together with fifty-four modern glass votives painted to match
15 1/4 in. (38.8 cm.) wide, the larger oval tureens

Provenance

Likely acquired by Walter Hayes Burns and his wife Mary Lynam Burns (née Morgan, daughter of the banker Junius Spencer Morgan) for North Mymms Park, in the late 19th century (the pair of larger oval tureens, the pair of bowls, the two 15 ¼ in. round platters, the four 13 ½ in. round platters, two 11 7/8 in. round platters).
‌The Property of of Major-General Sir George Burns, K.C.V.O., C.B., D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C., vol. 1; Christie's House Sale, North Mymms Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, 24-25 September 1979, lot 667 (the pair of larger oval tureens, the pair of bowls, the two 15 ¼ in. round platters, the four 13 ½ in. round platters, two 11 7/8 in. round platters).
Acquired from Partridge, London, 1982 (the pair of larger oval tureens, the pair of bowls, the two 15 ¼ in. round platters, the four 13 ½ in. round platters, two 11 7/8 in. round platters, twenty soup plates and the remaining plates).
Property of a Lady, Formerly in the Collection of H.R.H., The Duke of Windsor and The Duchess of Windsor; Sotheby's, New York, 16 May 1987, lot 1 (the pair of smaller oval tureens, the pair of sauceboats, four of the 11 7/8 in. round platters, the three small round dishes, one of the large oval platters, two of the small oval platters, twenty-four soup plates and thirty-four plates).
Acquired from The Antique Porcelain Co., New York, 1987 (two plates).
Acquired by Ann and Gordon Getty from the above.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Elizabeth Seigel Vice President, Specialist, Head of Private and Iconic Collections

eseigel@christies.com +1 212 484 4812

Lot Essay

The enduringly popular Gelber Löwe (Yellow Lion) service was first modeled in 1730 by Meissen for Augustus the Strong and was inspired by the decorative motifs first created at the Sakaida Kakiemon factory in Arita, Japan. The kingly lion, in actuality a tiger, among auspicious plum blossoms was meant to reflect good tidings for the sovereign, and though he died in 1733, the service continued to be well regarded and admired by members of his court, spawning a variety of Kakiemon-inspired services across the continent in the coming years. In 1737 Augustus III gifted a large Yellow Lion service to the British envoy to the Imperial Court in Vienna, Thomas Lord Robinson, who was "delighted to have received the gift of a magnificent dinner service that is...painted in one of the styles that the king has reserved for himself alone." For a full discussion of the evolution of the Gelber Löwe service, see U. Pietsch and C. Banz, "From the 'Yellow Lion' to the 'Blue Band': Famous Eighteenth Century Meissen Dinner Services, Triumph of the Blue Swords: Meissen Porcelain for Aristocracy and Bourgeoisie 1710-1815, Dresden, 2010, pp. 95-105.

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