Qianlong period (1736-95), circa 1775, porcelain punch bowl decorated on the exterior side with the coat of arms of Troutbeck of Dunham in Cheshire, crest with three trout in a triangle on red ground topped by a moor's head being held up by a merperson, sprays of flora populate the rest of the exterior, the interior is also decorated with floral sprays and a green and gilt border to interior of rim.

4 3/4 x 11 1/4 in. diameter

Private Collection, Virginia Beach, Virginia Collected by the consignor and her husband with the guidance of David Sanctuary Howard, who literally wrote the book on Chinese Armorial porcelain. The couple began collecting during the 1970s from galleries and auction houses across Europe and the United States, and even from Howard himself. This collection is a very special offering of some rare and wonderful pieces collected over a lifetime with great care and passion.

An interesting error has been made on this tea service, almost certainly through a misunderstanding while sending instructions to China. The arms are a pun on the Troutbeck name, being three entwined trout which should be on a blue field indicating a ’beck’ or stream. The original artwork was possibly a bookplate, or perhaps a black and white drawing in which the colour of the shield has been represented by hatched lines - horizontal lines indicating the color blue in heraldry. Beneath the red enamel these horizontal lines can be seen quite clearly on the close-up of the armorial.

Two hairlines to the rim, minor rubbing.