42 - Imperial porcelain cup with heraldic decoration for the Russian market (Catherine II of Russia). China. Qianlong period (1736–1795), circa 1780. The cup is decorated with “Famille Rose” glazes, the center adorned with a double-headed imperial eagle supporting a shield decorated with St. George slaying the dragon, the wing decorated with a ribbon intertwined in a garland of flowers. Dimensions: 24.5 cm. Two chips along the rim.

Imperial porcelain cup with heraldic decoration for the Russian market (Catherine II of Russia). China. Qianlong period (1736–1795), circa 1780. The cup is decorated with “Famille Rose” glazes, the center adorned with a double-headed imperial eagle supporting a shield decorated with St. George slaying the dragon, the wing decorated with a ribbon intertwined in a garland of flowers. Dimensions: 24.5 cm. Two chips along the rim. Porcelain pieces from the “devise service” A large part of this service, including notably two soup tureens with their lids and stands—whose shape is inspired by Leeds creamware—was sold as lots 743 through 801 at the Christie’s auction at North Mymms Park, September 24–26, 1979. Other pieces have recently appeared on the market and were exhibited by Jorge Welsh at TEFAF in 2025. A large platter had also been acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as early as 1935. The fact that each cartouche features a different emblem is unusual for export porcelain, which typically reproduces a single design across an entire service. This distinctive feature thus serves as an indication of the high cost of this commission. The designs are all taken from the book *Symbola et Emblemata* (1705), commissioned by Peter the Great from Henry Wetstein (1649–1726) in Amsterdam, with Joseph Mulder (born 1660) likely responsible for the engravings. The book was a great success: a second edition was printed in Amsterdam in 1741 by A. van Huissteen & S. van Esveldt, followed by a third in Haarlem in 1743 by Johannes Marshoorn. A St. Petersburg edition was subsequently published in 1788, under the direction of Nestor Maksimovitsch Ambodik. The emblems redrawn by Mulder are precisely those used on the porcelain, to which they correspond closely. This correspondence suggests that the commission for this service may have originated in Russia—perhaps even from Catherine II, who commissioned numerous services from various manufacturers, notably Sèvres and Wedgwood, as well as Chinese export porcelain bearing her coat of arms. We thank Will Motley for the information he provided regarding this commission.