Dish, Qianlong c.1775, with the arms of Juana Antonia Bucareli y Baeza, 4th Marquise of Vallehermoso, Grandee of Spain, Countess of Gerena
This 12½ inch dish, from a large dinner service, is to date the only known example for the Spanish market with the arms of a lady.
The Bucarelli family originally came from Florence in Italy and a branch settled in Seville. The service was made for Juana Antonia Bucarelli y Baeza, Ursúa y Vicentelo, who was born in Seville in 1739 and died in 1810. She became Countess of Gerena in 1774 and at her father’s death in 1782 she inherited the titles of Marquise of Vallehermoso and Viscountess of Ursúa. The coat of arms includes quarterings for the families of Bucarelli, Baeza, Ursúa and Vicentelo.
This extensive service includes many rare forms such as a rococo soup tureen, a sauce tureen and cover in the form of Budai Heshang (in a private collection), a pierced fruit basket on a pedestal stand after a Meissen original (Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon), sugar casters (Metropolitan Museum), with other examples in the Madrid Decorative Arts museum and elsewhere.
Extract from a letter to Antonio Maria Bucareli [her uncle] from José Arlegui y Leoz dated Manila,12 July 1775, mentioning this service, and another for him.
"I now have a beautiful service (1114 pieces) that was ordered by the Count of Xerena with the coat of arms of My Lady the countess …. Its chief cost in Canton was [..] pesos not counting transportation and duties so that once in Cadiz the price will have gone up some, for not having the foresight of sending 600 [pesos]".
Reference : Extract above from Chinese Armorial Porcelain for Spain (Diaz, Rocío; 2010, pp.274-281)
Condition : Edge fritting filled; short rim crack sealed and totally invisible.
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