circa 1726, central arms for lady of the family King, Baron of Ockham, arms displayed within a central diamond, top with three axes, lower half with three bloodied spear heads, borders and rim with foliate decoration in gilt and iron red, having trees and vases in the Imari taste, gilt highlights throughout, reverse with four painted floral sprays, 13-5/8 in.

Note: "Peter King, was created Baron King of Ockham in 1725, and was Lord Chancellor 1725-33, at which time he also received this grant of arms, had married in 1704 Anne, daughter of Richard Seys of Boverton in Glamorgan and had four sons and two daughters--Elizabeth and Anne--neither of whom married. He died in 1734, but his widow survived him for thirty-three years and died in July 1767.

These are the arms of an unmarried daughter and correctly should be for either Elizabeth or Anne King. A service was made for Lord King at the same time, and both services are now known to have been part of a Private Trade cargo on the quayside at Canton on the 20th December 1727, awaiting being loaded onto the ship Prince Augustus. A very rare mention in the Canton Journal (held in the East India Archives at the British Library) for that day describes “5 Chests of China Ware with the Arms of the Lord King’s and some other Gentlemen”. "

Chinese Armorial Porcelain Volume I, David S. Howard, Faber & Faber, 31 May 1974, p. 203.  (with further information added by Angela Howard). See also A Tale of Three Cities, David S. Howard, Sotheby's 1997, pp. 77-78, for an illustration of this entry in the Canton Journal and a teapot of Lord King's own service.

Provenance: Phil B.Cooke Collection; Sotheby's London, Fawley House, 14 and 15 October 2003, Lot 165; Christopher M. Weld, Essex, Massachusetts

hairline crack to rim, scratching, spotting, accretion, minor chipping to foot ring, under blacklight slight fluorescence to white ground surrounding axes, possible in-painting