A Rare Chinese Export Famille-Rose 'Pompadour' Pattern Bourdaloue, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period, Circa 1745 | 清乾隆 約1745年 粉彩花卉圖器

Acquired by the present owner at Pescheteau-Badin, Paris, June 13, 2023, lot 15.

The bourdaloue is traditionally said to have been named after the celebrated French Jesuit preacher Louis Bourdaloue (1632-1704). His famously lengthy sermons are reputed to have prompted fashionable ladies to carry these discreet vessels, allowing them to remain in church throughout the service without interruption. 

The present example was likely commissioned as part of a larger service intended for the French market. The decorative motif of a fish and an eagle has led many scholars to suggest an association with Madame de Pompadour. According to this interpretation, the fish alludes to her maiden name, Poisson, while the eagle represents King Louis XV. Although the pattern has long been referred to as the "Pompadour" pattern, its true origins remain the subject of considerable debate. For further discussion, see Michel Beurdeley, Porcelain of the East India Companies (London, 1962), cat. no. 190; David Howard, The Choice of the Private Trader (London, 1994), no. 271; and David Howard and John Ayers, China for the West, vol. II (London, 1978), cat. no. 449. 

Other similar examples of this model and pattern have sold, including those formerly in the collection of the Estate of Glady's (Patsy) Pulitzer Preston, Christie's New York, January 18, 2018 lot 35; The Hodroff Collection, Christie's New York, January 21, 2009 lot 270; Christie's New York, January 19, 1996, lot 27; Christie's Amsterdam, October 15, 1990, lot 186, and The Hector Binney Collection, Sotheby's New York, December 5, 1989, lot 9.