Chinese Export Armorial Platter with the Arms of Samuel Vaughan, c.1750

Chinese Export porcelain armorial platter painted en grisaille with the arms of Vaughan impaling Hallowell, the border panels with landscapes and birds in branches.

The unusual decoration on this service is copied from a bookplate. David Howard notes the motto, "In prudentia et simplicitate", is spelled incorrectly on many pieces, as here.

China c. 1750
11.25" x 14.75"

PRICE: $9,500

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Condition: Fine condition- small filled rim flake on upper edge, as shown in photo.

Samuel Vaughan (1720-1802) was born in Ireland, had businesses in London and Jamaica and enjoyed close ties to America. He married Sarah Hollowell of Boston in 1747 and ordered this service shortly thereafter, making this one of the earliest armorial services with an American connection.

Vaughan arrived in Philadelphia in 1783. He was much involved with the Philosophical Society, the leading scientific organization at the time, and contributed to the construction of Philosophical Hall, adjacent to Independence Hall. An avid landscape architect, he also designed the adjoining State House Garden, now known as Independence Square.

Vaughan was close friends with George Washington. He presented Washington with a marble mantle for his new room at Mount Vernon and drew plans for his gardens there. The famous "Vaughan Portrait" of Washington by Gilbert Stuart in the National Gallery was owned by Samuel Vaughan and is named for him.

See: Howard, David Sanctuary. Chinese Armorial Porcelain. Faber, 2003, p. 359.

Le Corbeiller, Clare, and Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen. "Chinese Export Porcelain." Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art., 2003, p.37.

Fuchs, Ronald W., et al. Made in China : Export Porcelain from the Leo and Doris Hodroff Collection at Winterthur. Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum ; Distributed by University Press of New England, 2005, p. 70, no 32.