An almost unique VERY LARGE Meissen Kakiemon circular tureen, cover and original stand

circa 1730-35. All original pieces to the set, and not matched. I think this is from a service ordered by Count von Friesen in 1730, and that the handles are modelled by J.J.Kandler. See evidence for this below. What is extremely unusual is the moulding on both pieces, because most early Kakiemon pieces are just smooth.

Each painted with a phoenix in flight and sprigs of indianische Blumen beneath the borders delicately molded with trailing peony branches; the tureen and cover with fish handles, interior of the tureen and stand with crossed swords mark in underglaze-blue.

diameter of stand 14 1/8 in.

35.9 cm

Essentially, the whole set of three pieces are in SUPERB CONDITION.

Stand - has 5 rim chips and several smaller rim chips. However, on this huge dish it is not immediately noticed. Some stacking wear to the cavetto and wear to the enamels, and the stand is slightly warped, because such a large thinly potted stand would have been very hard to fire completely exactly true. Cover - has a very fine firing crack at the handle beside the tail fin, which is quite hard to find. Tureen - good condition. There is an enameled over shallow firing chip to the rim in the manufacture.

PROVENANCE

Collection of Siegfried and Lola Kramarsky, Christie's London, October 30, 1993, lot 28

LITERATURE

Ruth Berges, From Gold to Porcelain, The Art of Porcelain and Faience, 1963, fig. 80

CATALOGUE NOTE

A similarly molded and decorated tureen and cover is illustrated by Rainer Rückert in Meissener Porcelain 1710-1810, fig. 296, p. 92, where the author mentions that this tureen could belong to the service "with etched (scrafiret) borders" ordered by Count von Friesen in 1730. According to Rückert, Kändler's work records of November 1733: '5 Stück Teller Rattiret mit Indianischen Ziraten, wo die Teller in Maße darauf drucket werden' [5 plates raised with indianische decoration, where the plates will be produced in masses] and September 1736: '1 Schälgen mit Japanischen Blumen rattiert für den Herrn Grafen von Friesen' [1 small dish raised with Japanese flowers for Count von Friesen] are related to this service. At least one other service with this unusual border is known, with decoration in iron-red and gilding, for which see a plate sold at Christie's London, September 21, 1992, lot 24. A plate from the same service as the present piece was sold at Sotheby's Zurich, December 5, 1991, lot 185.