A rare porcelain plate from the service of General Field Marshal, Count Burchard Christoph von Munnich, model by Johann Joachim Kaendler, Royal Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, 1738-1740

the cavetto finely painted with the coat-of-arms for Count von Munnich, the shield centred with an Imperial Eagle and surrounded by the chain and cross of the Order of St Andrew, the Latin motto Obsequio Et Candore set below (in Obedience and with Honesty), the border with raised wickerwork pattern, with blue manufactory marks

The gilding is worn and paint rubbed in a few places consistent with age and use.
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Burchard Christoph von Munnich was born at Neuenhuntorf in Oldenburg. At an early age he entered the military service which eventually took him to the Imperial Court in St. Petersburg. He quickly rose through the ranks and in 1732 was appointed General Field Marshal and president of the council of war. In this post he helped re-organise the Russian army, and founded the cadet corps which was destined to supply future generations of officers.

In 1734 von Munnich took part in the siege of Danzig (Gdansk) where a claimant to the Polish throne, Stanislav Leshchinsky, had been in hiding.  Leshchinsky was supported by King Louis XV of France but opposed by the Russian Empress Anna Ioanovna. The Empress commanded that Prince Elector Frederick Augustus II be made King of Poland and sent Russian troops led by von Munnich to Danzig. They were victorious and Augustus II, Elector of Saxony was also crowned Augustus III, King of Poland.

To express their gratitude, the Saxon court commissioned the Meissen Manufactory to produce a porcelain service decorated with von Munnich's coat-of-arms and which was presented to the Count in 1740 when he was appointed the first minister of the Russian Empire.

For other examples of porcelain from this service please see: Ulrich Pietsch, Meissen Fur Die Zaren, Munchen: Hirmer Verlag, 2004, pp. 30-55