Description:
Chinese export porcelain circular plate (originally one of 14; 13 others auctioned at Sotheby's, January 1997) decorated in the Famille rose palette of black, yellow, blue, green, iron red, rose, purple, and gilding. The top of the rim has an elaborate cartouche in black, blue, iron red, oxidized silver and gilding with the arms of two French families, Saint-Marcel (?) of the former Dauphine Province (now La Drome department in southeastern France, bordered by Italy on the east and the Rhône River on the west), joined with Quinot of Champagne ("D'Azur, au chevron d'or, accompagne de trois etoiles du meme, et surmonte d'un croissant d'argent"), which have similar charges but different tinctures, a discrepancy possibly as a misinterpretation of the colors by a Chinese painter. The arms are surmounted by a gilt count's coronet; over a ruffle-edged face; and flanked by black griffin supporters. The Quinot family is listed as a French noble family, descended from Nicolas Quinot of Champagne. The center well has bouquet of yellow-edged purple flowers with yellow and gilt centers, and green leaves and stems tied with blue bowknot; the top of the curvature has a gilt spearhead border; and the rim has three matching floral sprays and a brownish underglaze rim edge. A similar plate was listed on the website of dealers Cohen and Cohen and listed as decorated on the border surmounted with the arms of Du Friche and de Beauvillain accolleé. "This design is very unusual and no other services are known with it. The du Friche family is from Normandy and Nicolas du Friche (1690-1758), Sieur des Genettes, was a successful lawyer and politician. According to Jougla de Morenas, 1952 (Vol 4, p71 and ref. Nouveau d'Hozier 145) the arms were granted in 1656 in Normandie (corrected from Versailles, Jougla Vol 7 p265) : D'argent à un épervier de sable becqué onglé griffé de gue et un chef d'azure chargé de 3 étoiles d'or (the phrase 'becqué onglé griffé' refers to a resourcefull defensive position) Several members of this family were significant in the post revolutionary period in France but it not yet proved possible to find any of them using these arms. The sinister arms are de Beauvillain, given in Rietstap as from Poitou - (Arm. gén. de 1696) - De gueules au chevron d'or acc de trois étoiles du mesme et surmonté en chef d'un croissant d'argent. The Beavillain family were based in Poitou and very old - one was also Seigneur de Vau. It has not been possible to find a marriage between the du Friche family and the Beavillain family - as this accollee arms would suggest. The marriage would ahev been about the time of the order of the rmorial service, circa 1755 from enamels and border type, so the couple therefore born approximately between 1710 and 1725. One René Beauvillain married Jeanne Menou in 1722 and had at least two daughters Marie and Anne who could have been the bride of a du Friche, possibly a younger brother of Nicolas. Research has shown that he had a nephew or great-nephew, René Dufriche (1762-1837) who became Baron Desgenettes and served as senior medical officer under Napoleon. His parents - as yet undiscovered (!) - might have ordered this service. In the biographies his father is given as 'avocat au Parlement de Rouen' - a position also held by Nicolas. However René had his own arms created which do include a band of three stars. Nicolas du Friche (1690-1758) was a lawyer for the parliament in Rouen and married in 1741 to Francoise Le Sergent (1709-1770). Two of his sons married sisters of the de Broe family, including Charles Eleanor Dufriche des Genettes de Valazes (1751-1793) who married Ann de Broe in 1777. Valaze was initially an enthusiastic revolutionary and Mayor of Alencon but he fell foul of Marat who had him arrested with the Girondins and tried for treason. Upon conviction he drew a dagger in open court and stabbed himself in the heart rather than die on the guillotine. "
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