CHINA - for the Belgian market, circa 1725-1749 : Pair of famille rose porcelain soup tureens with gold and silver highlights, bearing the arms of Charles de La Bistrate of Antwerp in Brabant, flanked by those of Anne-Martine Proli of Antwerp and Milan, supported by two greyhounds and surmounted by a knight's helmet, the rim of the lid embellished with an interlacing motif reproducing the arms, the two side handles in the form of shells; restoration to one handle, cracks to the glaze inside the same tureen, slight wear. 19th-century gilt bronze mounting. Total height: 26.3 cm Diameter: 24 cm (lids) The arms on this pair of tureens belonged to Jean-Charles de la Bistrate (baptized in Antwerp in 1715), lord of Loer and Neerwinde and chief chaplain of Antwerp, and his wife, Anne-Martine Proli (1711-1789), whom he married on October 7, 1736. Anne-Martine Proli's father was one of the seven directors of the Ostend company. A bowl bearing the same arms is illustrated in Porcelaines chinoises " Compagnie des Indes " décorées d'armoiries belges, La " Compagnie d'Ostende ", ses antécédents & ses prolongements, p.66-67. Two other bowls are in the Rijksmuseum, AK-NM-13423 and AK-NM-4095. For a discussion of the different services of La Bistrate and Proli, see David Sanctuary Howard, "Chinese Armorial Porcelain", 1974, p.40-41. Condition report: One shell shape handle restored and some crackles to the glaze inside the same tureen; slight wear.