A Chinese famille rose Meissen style quatrefoil beaker and saucer with galant scenes, Augustus Rex mark (Augustus the Strong), Tongzhi

L 13,9 - D 12,5 cm (the saucer)

H 8,2 cm (the cup)

Ref.:

- A very similar beaker and saucer offered at Sotheby's, New York, Sale N10131, Selected Meissen and other ceramics from the collection of Henry H. Arnhold, Oct. 24, 2019, lot 352 (link): "This rare type of Chinese export beaker and saucer is discussed in depth in David Sanctuary Howard and John Ayers, China For the West: Chinese Porcelain and other Decorative Arts for Export illustrated from the Mottahedeh Collection, London, 1978, vol. II, cat. no. 539. The authors note that the original AR (Augustus Rex, referring to Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony) mark was used in Meissen porcelain between 1723 and 1736, yet the particular style of decoration on the present example did not appear in Meissen originals until after the iconic crossed-swords marks were introduced, therefore pointing out the contradiction in date between the mark and the decoration. The authors continue to note that it was known that in Dresden, during the second half of the 19th century, decorators used the AR mark to decorate German porcelain to imitate earlier Meissen wares. Helena Wolfsohn was one of the best well-known decorators who utilized the AR mark until the Meissen factory took legal action against her. It is therefore plausible that one such later reproduction of Meissen porcelain, was sent to China in order to be copied. This, in turn, marks the Chinese example as an imitation of an imitation. It appears that five other examples are known, including the example from the Mottahedeh collection. Another pair are in the Helena Woolworth McCann Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and illustrated in Clare Le Corbeiller, China Trade Porcelain: Patterns of Exchange, New York, 1974, cat. no. 37, and Elinor Gordon (ed.), Chinese Export Porcelain: An Historical Survey, New York, 1975, p. 80."