From China to Brittany, along the Indian route

An armorial freshener plays a part in the history of the Compagnie des Indes and its orders for the French market, in this case specifically for Brittany.

The export porcelains on offer here, made for the Compagnie des Indes, come from a number of private collections. Amongst the pieces on display, particular attention will be drawn to this large refreshment chest made during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng (1723-1735), for two reasons. Firstly, for the quality of its decoration in famille rose enamels, inspired by the one commissioned for King Louis XV, but also for its patron, identified by the presence of his coat of arms on the body, embellished with peony sprays: “Azure, a world Or, supported by a vol and surmounted by a star Argent”. These are the arms of the Danycan family, and take us back to the maritime history of Brittany, and more specifically that of Saint-Malo. Noël II Danycan de l’Épine (1656-1735) was no ordinary man ! A former privateer under Louis XIV, a famous sailor and shipowner from Saint-Malo, he was considered one of the wealthiest men in France : in 1709, he even lent the Sun King a considerable sum of money, the very year of one of the sumptuary fontes intended to replenish the kingdom’s coffers. He was also – and this explains the order to Chinese porcelain manufacturers – founder of the Compagnie des mers du Sud. His son, Noël III, followed in his footsteps, serving as commissary general and then inspector of the Compagnie des Indes between 1720 and 1730.