A Set of Chinese Armorial Porcelain 18th Century Style
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A Pair of Chinese Armorial Style Porcelain Wine Coolers
with matching Large Dish & Twelve Plates.
18th Century Style depicting the arms of Leake Okeover
with matching Large Dish & Twelve Plates.
18th Century Style depicting the arms of Leake Okeover
This lavishly decorated service is a 20th century copy of one of the most elaborate and expensive armorial services ever made in China for export to Britain. It shows the arms of Leake Okeover (1701–1765), at left, intersected with the arms of his wife, Mary Nichols (died 1764), who were married in 1730. The original service is one of the most famous of the 18th century armorial services, not only for its elaborate design painted by the English portrait artist Arthur Devis (1708-1787), but also for the fact that the original pattern dating from 1738, still survives, and is the only known complete design for an armorial service that has lasted until the present day. Due to the cost of the original service - a shipping invoice from 1740 reveals that the cost per piece was about £1, roughly ten times the price for most armorial porcelain - it is thought that this service was intended for display purposes only and not for general use. Examples of plates from this service are in many museum collections throughout the world, such as those of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the British Museum, London, and the Metropolitan Museum, New York and the Museum of Fine Art, New Orleans.