Sophie von der Goltz
Head of Sale
The Richard Deacon Collection
Lot 114*
A Sèvres blue-ground plate from the Comte d'Aranda service, dated 1786
2 December 2025, 13:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£2,000 - £3,000
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Nette Megens
Head of Department, Director
Sebastian Kuhn
Department Director
Raphael Machiels
Associate Specialist
Ghislaine Howard
Sale Coordinator
A Sèvres blue-ground plate from the Comte d'Aranda service, dated 1786
Painted by Nicquet with a bouquet of flowers and fruit in the well surrounded by three gilt line borders, stylised flowers issuing from the last, the blue-ground rim reserved with three long panels edged with gilding and enclosing flower sprays, alternating with elaborate gilt foliate and floral scrollwork, 23.9cm diam., interlaced LL monogram enclosing date letter jj in blue, painter's mark nq for Nicquet, gilder's mark D for Decambos, incised 33
Footnotes
Provenance:
Presented by Louis XVI to Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea Ximinez de Urréa, Conde de Aranda (1718-1798);
With John Whitehead
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, and a soup plate, 7 December 2022, lot 160.
For a full discussion of the service, see David Peters, Sèvres Plates and Services, 2005, revised edition 2015, vol. IV, pp. 833-836, no. 87-7.