62 - Porcelain plate with heraldic decoration for the English market (Gordon). China. Qianlong period (1736–1795), circa 1740. Octagonal in shape, elegantly decorated in “Famille Rose” glazes, bearing the Gordon coat of arms for the English market, adorned with a central scene in the Chinese style and cartouches featuring landscape motifs in polychrome glazes. Dimensions: 22 cm. Very good condition.

Porcelain plate with heraldic decoration for the English market (Gordon). China. Qianlong period (1736–1795), circa 1740. Octagonal in shape, elegantly decorated in “Famille Rose” glazes, bearing the Gordon coat of arms for the English market, adorned with a central scene in the Chinese style and cartouches featuring landscape motifs in polychrome glazes. Dimensions: 22 cm. Very good condition. Sir Adam Gordon of Dalpholly (c. 1600–1700) married Anne Urquhart of Newhall and made his fortune in trade. He owned shares in the merchant ship Bon Accord and £6,000 in stock in the “Company of Scotland trading to Africa and the Indies.” Sir Adam Gordon had at least three sons and one daughter, but there is very little record of his children except for his heir, Sir William Gordon, 1st Baronet of Ivergordon (1679–1742). It is possible, however, that one of Sir Adam Gordon’s descendants continued his commercial activities in the East Indies. One of Adam Gordon’s grandsons was John Gordon, the son of Adam Gordon the Younger. Little is known about him, although a certain “Captain John Gordon” appears as commander of the Montague, an East India Company ship sent to China during the 1719–1720 and 1722–1723 seasons. An octagonal plate from this set is reproduced in “Collecting Chinese Export Porcelain” by Elinor Gordon. An octagonal dish, two teacups, and a saucer are housed at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. A larger octagonal dish is featured in “Chinese Export Porcelain in Private Brazilian Collections” by Jorge Getulio Veiga. Another plate is housed at the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels.