CHINA, Compagnie des Indes, 18th century - Lot 258

CHINA, Compagnie des Indes, 18th century Large porcelain bottle cooler bearing the coat of arms of Louis XV with Imari decoration of flowering branches with fruit basket, pomegranate burst, prunus flowers, floral interlace braid surrounding reserves with foliage on the rim, stylized scroll braid on the base, shell-shaped handles. H. 18 cm MFV Broken in two and repaired, chips and missing parts History: The Compagnie des Indes commissioned a service bearing the King's coat of arms: From 1700 onwards, ships were landing in China, which opened up the first-hand market to the Compagnie des Indes, and led to the development of the market for armorial dinner services, which became very popular from 1710-1720 onwards. To keep up with the fashion, in 1733 Louis XV commissioned the Compagnie des Indes to make "twelve bidets bearing the King's coat of arms", which he received between 1735 and 1737. The result of this first order pleased the King, who then asked for a table service. On June 2, 1738, he asked the directors of the Compagnie des Indes to "have various pieces of porcelain made to the royal coat of arms, in accordance with the memorandum that was submitted to him". This memorandum, now lost, no doubt detailed the composition of the service. On July 25, 1740, the vessels Le Condé and Le Duc docked in Lorient with the service, which was probably delivered to Louis XV the following month. In the absence of the order memorandum, the exact composition of this royal ensemble remains unknown. Louis XV probably intended the service for his new winter dining room, built in 1738 on the second floor of Versailles. The service was placed on the royal table at Louis XV's cabinet dinners, before being dethroned in 1753 by the celestial blue service supplied by the Vincennes manufacture, whose development distracted the King from his China set. The service is absent from the Château de Versailles inventories drawn up in the 18th century, and only a few pieces appear in certain porcelain inventories drawn up at the end of the Ancien Régime. The service was dispersed among several royal houses, including Versailles, Marly and Rambouillet. During the French Revolution, the presence of the French coat of arms led to the destruction of some pieces, while others were sold. At one of the last sales of the garde meuble fonds, which had become national, on 2 Vendémiaire An VI (September 23, 1797), two gardes magasins delivered "four buckets of various sizes in painted and gilded Japanese porcelain with the arms of France (...) Sold under n°226". (A.N., O2 430, dr.22, p.74) The buckets in the Musée Condé in Chantilly and the Musée de la Marine may have belonged to this disposed lot. Bibliography: CASTELLUCCIO, Stéphane. La Chine à Versailles,2014, p 95.