A CHINESE EXPORT ARMORIAL TEABOWL AND SAUCER circa 1734

each painted probably in Holland on the front or in the center with the arms of Nassau quartering Dietz, Vianden and Catznellogen with an escutcheon of pretence, encircled by the Order of the Garter and accollée with the Royal Arms of England quarterly beneath a coronet supported on a fruiting orange branch, the interior of the teabowl with a fruiting orange sprig. The saucer restored.

Geoffrey Godden, Chinaman, Worthing, Sussex, 1984

New York, International Asian Art Fair, 2002

The teabowl with two tiny touched-up chips to rim, the saucer broken in four pieces and restored, both with gilding to edge worn.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

An identical teabowl and saucer are illustrated by Howard 1974, p. 797, no. Y3; and by Kroes, p. 500, cat. no. 422, both of whom indicate that the arms are those of King William III's first cousin twice removed, who became William IV, Prince of Orange (1711-51).  In 1734 he married Anne of Hanover (1709-59), Princess Royal of England, the eldest daughter of King George II and Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach, and in 1747 he became the ruler of the Dutch Provinces.  Kroes, p. 500 suggests that rather than being ordered by or for the royal couple themselves, this porcelain "was probably ordered by an Orangist to commemorate either the wedding in 1734, or perhaps the inauguration of 1747-1748."