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Pair of Chinese Export Plates from the Abigail Adams Service, c. 1780

Offered by: Robert Morrissey Antiques & Fine Art

Description
Pair of Chinese Export porcelain plates from the John and Abigail Adams service, each painted with a central flower within a bamboo cavetto and spearhead-type border.

Note the fine and delicate gilt outline around the central flower, visible in the detail photo.

John Adams (1735-1826) served as the first vice president of the United States under George Washington and as the second president from 1797-1801. John and Abigail used this service at their home in Quincy, Massachusetts.[1]

Porcelain was as prized in America as it was in Europe, an integral component of a civilized life. In a fascinating letter conserved at the Massachusetts Historical Society, John Adams wrote to Abagail in 1780 from Paris, long before he became president, in which he imagines an American civilization that comes to fruition in three generations, where the politics and war fought by his generation lay the foundation for the following two, culminating in the study of the arts, which includes porcelain: "I must study politicks and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematicks and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematicks and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, musick, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelaine."[2]

[1] Herbert F. Schiffer, et al, China for America : Export Porcelain of the 18th and 19th Centuries. (Exton, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Pub. Co., 1980), 107.

Jean McClure Mudge, Chinese Export Porcelain in North America (New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1986), 160.

[2] https://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/archive/doc?id=L17800512jasecond

More Information

Origin:	China
Period:	18th Century
Materials:	porcelain, enamel
Condition:	Good. Fine condition- no chips cracks or repairs
Creation Date:	1780
Number of Pieces:	2-3
Styles / Movements:	Chinese Export, Traditional
Patterns:	Florals/Botanical
Dealer Reference #:	5083976
Incollect Reference #:	843832

Dimensions

Diam.	9 in;
Diam.	22.86 cm;

Message from Seller:

Robert Morrissey Antiques & Fine Art, established in 1948, specializes in period European furniture, modern design, and an extensive selection of paintings and sculpture. Contact us at 314.644.7066 or robert@robertmorrissey.com to explore our curated collection.