
Ghislaine Howard
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Sold for £3,825 inc. premium
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Provenance:
Presented by Louis XVI to Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea Ximinez de Urréa, Conde de Aranda (1718-1798)
The service was listed in the sale records in 1787 and was given as a diplomatic gift to the Comte d'Aranda, the Spanish Ambassador-Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to France from 12 September 1773 to 23 September 1787.
The Count was President of the Council of Spain and principal advisor to Carlos III, King of Spain, and was an accomplished diplomat with a reputation for liberal ideas. The presentation of the service marked the conclusion of his ambassadorship in France.
The gift is recorded in the Journal des Présents du Roi on 16.9.1787 as 'une Service de porcelaine Sève with a total price of 43,428 livres. A substantial part of the service was sold at Christie's London, 11 March 1836, lots 72-84 and 86-93. A dinner plate was sold in these rooms, 6 July 2021, lot 217.
For a full discussion of the service, see David Peters, Sèvres Plates and Services of the 18th Century (2005), vol. IV, no. 87-7.