Presented is a fantastic quality antique Samson of Paris armorial tureen or covered serving dish with underplate, dating to circa 1917-1935. The tureen and platter are wonderfully decorated in peach and red with rich gilt detailing, in a Chinoiserie inspired style, with colorful floral sprays and particularly striking boar's head form handles, but the real focal point is the large armorial crest. The crest appears on both ends of the tureen's lid as well as in the center of the underplate, very prominent in all three places. The crest is skillfully hand painted and exceptionally detailed, easily in the top three for Samson armorial crests that we have seen in over forty years of business. The escutcheon of the crest has a white bull between three anchors, with supporters of a lion and an eagle, both wreathed. The helmet of the crest is topped with another floral wreath and a triple masted ship. The shield is backed by the circlet and motto of the Order of the British Empire, whose badge is suspended beneath. The Latin motto is “familia coniuncta superat,” or “The family joined surpasses.” The Order of the British Empire was founded in 1917, which is why the start of the age range for this piece is so specific. The coat of arms is likely that of some member of the Order, but as it is a fairly recently formed Order, if they were awarded the arms at this time, they may be too recent to find records of easily. Please note, we have a set of 8 signed Samson plates with the same armorial crest, which you can find by searching our store for “Samson plates.”
The tureen and underplate are in excellent condition. The painted decoration and the gilding are in great shape. There are no chips, no cracks, no breaks, and no repairs.
The underplate has a Samson pseudo-Chinese type mark in red, while the tureen itself is not marked but undoubtedly original, considering the armorial. This piece came to us in a lot with 8 matching plates signed Samson a Paris.
The tureen measures about 12 1/4 x 8 x 7 3/8 inches, LxWxH, including the lid. The underplate measures about 15 1/4 x 12 x 1 1/2 inches. -jm
