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53
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Porcelain tureen with a coat of arms design for the French m…
See original version (French)
53
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Porcelain tureen with a coat of arms design for the French m…
See original version (French)
Estimate €1,500 - €2,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Porcelain tureen with a coat of arms design for the French market (Renaud de Saint-Germain). China. Qianlong period (1736–1795), circa 1775. The tureen is decorated in ‘Famille Rose’ enamels, featuring the coat of arms of the Renault de Saint-Germain family. Dimensions: 37 x 21 cm. Restorations to the handles and minor chips.
The commission may be attributed to Pierre-Mathieu
Renault de Saint-Germain (1697–1777), who was one of the
leading figures in the French presence in Bengal in the
18th century. Born in Châtellerault in 1697, he set off for the
Indies and arrived in Bengal in 1725, where he spent most
of his career in the service of the French East India Company.
Based in Chandernagor, the region’s main French trading post,
he joined the Provincial Council in 1734. In 1746, he was appointed
head of the French trading post in Patna, an important commercial centre
in the interior of the country. On his return to Chandernagor, he became a councillor
for the Indies and deputy manager of the trading post in 1754, before being appointed
its director in 1755. He thus held this post at a time when
Franco-British rivalry was reaching its peak in India, shortly
before the British capture of Chandernagor in 1757. He
also served as a councillor on the Superior Council of Pondicherry, and later
as an honorary Councillor for the Indies. His correspondence bears witness to
his involvement in the Company’s commercial affairs and
constitutes a valuable source on trade between France and
Asia in the 18th century. After more than half a century closely associated with the
French settlements in India, Pierre-Mathieu Renault de Saint-
Germain died in Chandernagor in 1777.
The commission could be attributed to his son, Joseph-Pierre-Xavier
Renault de Saint-Germain (1733–1819), a prominent administrator
of the French East India Company. He grew up at the heart of the
French settlements in Bengal. He chose a military career
and became a captain of grenadiers in the Indian Battalion, before
commanding the French troops stationed in Bengal. He died in
Port Louis, Mauritius, on 19 November 1819.
For a lid from this commission, see Antoine Lebel,
French and Swiss Coats of Arms on 18th-Century Chinese Porcelain,
2009, p. 166.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Lot description modified on 10/13/2026 at 6:13 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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