Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State

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Object Details

Maker
Unknown
Date
ca. 1735
Geography
China
Culture
China, for export
Medium
ceramic; porcelain with overglaze enamels
Dimensions
Overall: 12 3/8 in; x 31.4325 cm
Provenance
Ex-collection of George Skakel (1892-1955) or George Skakel, Jr. (1922-1966); acquired by Thomas K. Libby, a Stamford, Connecticut, dealer; to the donor through purchase. From a dinner service made for Eldred Lancelot Lee (1650-1734), or his son Lancelot.[1] The arms in the center depict Lee of Coton quartering Astley of Staffordshire. Eldred Lee and the Lee family of Virginia, who include Major General Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee III of General Washington's Continental Army (1756-1818) and his son Confederate General Robert E. Lee (1807- 1870), were descended from a common ancestor, John Lee of King's Nardley. Notes: 1.Howard 1974, 329. Other examples from this service are in the Victoria and Albert Museum and in Washington and Lee University (The Reeves Collection). A plate appears on the dust jacket and as the frontspiece of Godden 1979.
Inscriptions
"Virtus vera est nobilitas" or Virtue is the True Nobility.
Credit Line
Gift from Robert Kogod Goldman and Caroline Goldman Cassagnol in memory of their brother, Ronald Kogod Goldman
Collection
The Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
Accession Number
RR-2014.0004