Lot 107 A rare Chelsea partridge tureen centrepiece, circa 1755

A rare Chelsea partridge tureen centrepiece, circa 1755

GBP 2,500

未知

未知

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Comprising two birds modelled on nests of sieved clay and feathers, their plumage carefully painted in tones of puce and brown over a pale yellow ground, one with its head turned to its right and the other with head to its left, the shaped oval stand with crisp basketweave moulding, scattered feathers and ears of wheat in relief to the border all naturalistically coloured, a brown line to the rim, stand 30cm wide, puce anchor mark to one tureen and red anchor mark to stand (5)
Footnotes
Provenance
With Jupiter Antiques
Literature
White, Mary, Beasts at the Whites' House, Vol.1, 2020, p.191
A display such as this would have formed part of a fashionable trompe l'oeil table centrepiece and Chelsea excelled in the production of such pieces resembling animals and vegetables. Similar bird tureens were produced in a variety of forms, including partridges, ducks and pigeons, often ambitiously life-sized. The Chelsea sale catalogues list a number of partridges, including 'Two very fine partridges and a dish for ditto, finely ornamented', Second Day's Sale, 11 March 1755, lot 75 and 'Two partridges and a dish', Second Day's Sale, 30 March 1756, lot 4. Mary White notes how, together with the stand, they are incredibly complementary and the whole effect is harmonious. A similar pair of partridge tureens and covers together with their stand was exhibited by Brian Haughton Gallery, , 2009, pp.24-5, no.17, where the rarity of the stand is noted. Another Chelsea partridge tureen from the Brenda Dunning Collection was sold by Bonhams on 22 June 2022, lot 458.