A rare Meissen Chinoiserie ecuelle stand, circa 1725. photo Sotheby's

finely painted in the center with a Chinese figure within a fenced garden, the Böttger-lustre rim decorated with quatrelobe cartouches painted with Chinoiserie figures alternating with triangular scalework panels, crossed swords mark in underglaze-blue, H. in gold script. diameter 9 1/2 in. , 24 cm. Lot 4. Estimate 10,000-15,000 USD

NOTE DE CATALOGUE: A similar écuelle, cover and stand from the collection of la Baronne Alix de Rothschild is illustrated by Ulrich Pietsch in Frühes Meissener Porzellan, Kostbarkeiten aus deutschen Privatsammlungen, p. 205-206, cat. no. 161, where the author cites three other comparable examples, a pair in the collection of Gustav von Klemperer, Dresden, and one in the collection of Eugen Gutmann, Berlin.

Sotheby's. Important English and European Furniture, Silver, Porcelain and Carpets. New York | 23 mai 2012, 10:00 AM www.sothebys..com