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Lot 1

5 July 2005, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

£1,200 - £1,500

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A 'Portobello' delft plate

circa 1741
naively painted in blue with a busy scene of sailing ships in the mouth of the River Chagre below the Spanish-built fort over which the flag of the victorious British fleet now flies, a border of mimosa type flowers alternating with vine and other leaves, the rim picked out with a brown line, 21.5cm (typical wear and rim chips)

Footnotes

This scene is loosely based on an engraving (now lost) depicting the Battle of Chagre of March 1740. Chagre (present day Panama) was taken by Admiral Vernon as part of the Spanish War. Vernon had taken Porto Bello in November 1739. For a similar plate in the National Maritime Museum, see Rina Prentice, A Celebration of the Sea, fig. 29

Additional information