Chinese Export porcelain armorial platter painted en grisaille with the arms of Samuel Vaughan, the border panels with landscapes and birds in branches.

The unusual decoration on this service is copied from a bookplate. David Howard notes the motto, "In prudentia et simplicitate", is spelled incorrectly on many pieces, as here.

China c. 1750
11.25" x 14.75"

PRICE: $9,500  

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Condition: Fine condition- small filled rim flake on upper edge, as shown in photo.

Samuel Vaughan (1720-1802) was born in Ireland, had businesses in London and Jamaica and enjoyed close ties to America. He married Sarah Hollowell of Boston in 1747 and ordered this service shortly after their marriage, making this one of the earliest armorial services with an American connection.

The Vaughans were ardent supporters of independence. They were friends with Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. The famous "Vaughan Portrait" of Washington by Gilbert Stuart in the National Gallery was owned by the Vaughans and is named for them.


See: Howard, David Sanctuary. Chinese Armorial Porcelain. Faber, 2003, p. 359.

Le Corbeiller, Clare, and Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen. "Chinese Export Porcelain." Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art., 2003, p.37.

Fuchs, Ronald W., et al. Made in China : Export Porcelain from the Leo and Doris Hodroff Collection at Winterthur. Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum ; Distributed by University Press of New England, 2005, p. 70, no 32.