AN IMPORTANT AND LARGE FAMILLE ROSE STANDING FIGURE OF A EUROPEAN LADY Qianlong period, circa 1740 Brightly enameled and crisply modeled with a pleasant smiling face, wearing a polychrome ruff collar beneath a tight cap with ear protectors, blue shawl and flowing pink dress under a blue apron, her hands open by her side, and with bracelets around her wrists, her pointed shoes visible under the hem of her dress. 16in (42cm) high Footnotes: 乾隆時期 約1740年 重要大件粉彩歐洲仕女立像 Published: Cohen & Cohen, Take Two!, Antwerp, 2017, pp. 128-129, no. 55 出版： 倫敦Cohen & Cohen，Take Two!, Antwerp, 2017年，頁128-129 圖錄編號55 This very rare large figure, and the figure of her equally rare and complementary male companion, appear to have been modeled after an earlier print by Casper Luyken dating to circa 1703. The print illustrates figures in 17th century Jewish costumes, allegedly worn by ladies of the Frankfurt Jewish Community, and is taken from Abraham a Sancta Clara's Neu Eroffnete Welt-Galleria, published by C. Weigel in Nuremberg in 1703, as part of a series of illustrations of exotic foreign costumes. This print was identified by Ron Fuchs in 2008 in a publication by the Oriental Ceramic Society, London. (fig. 1) Two female figures very similar to the present lot were formerly in the magnificent collection of Chinese Export porcelain collection of the Honorable Mrs. Basil Ionides, housed in her country mansion at Buxted Park, Sussex. Two male figures forming the other half of this famous porcelain couple were formerly in the collection of Admiral Byng and were sold at auction in 1757 after his execution; one was identified and was formerly in the Hodroff Collection, illustrated by Howard 1994, no. 299. It is still unclear which European individual or institution would have wished to commission several pairs of these outstanding (and no doubt expensive) figures to be manufactured in China, and for what purpose. Most scholars had previously believed that the figures represented Dutch nationals in earlier, old fashioned costumes, and would therefore most likely have been commissioned through the Dutch VOC. Related figures of this lady are in the British Museum (co. 1963,0422.11), illustrated by Mengoni et al 2013, no. 140; in the Victoria & Albert Museum (co. C.94-1963); and formerly in the Mottahedeh Collection, illustrated by Howard & Ayers 1978, 612; Cohen & Cohen, 2014, pp. 68-69, no, 38 for a very similar figure with a few minor color differences; and see Sargent 1991, no. 51, pp. 112-114 for other examples. Very few pairs of these couples have survived together: but one complete pair is to be found in the Peabody Essex Museum, Copeland Collection, illustrated by Sargent 1991, no. 112; and for the pair formerly in the Hodroff Collection, see Howard 1994, no. 299, p. 252.