28. A Doccia armorial plate (tondino) from the Isola Marana service, mid-18th century The plate with a scalloped and gilt-edged rim festooned with a red, green and purple composite decoration, some scattered insects between the well and rim, with the accollée polychrome arms of the Isola and Marana families painted in the centre, supported by purple scrolls surrounded by floral foliage, surmounted by a gilt coronet with three floral motifs in puce to the underside rim, 24cm diam. (restored section to rim) Provenance Marchesi Francesco and Laura Marana, Genoa; Purchased by present owner via the trade. Literature Biancalana, Alessandro, Porcellane Ginori a Doccia. La stanza delle meraviglie di casa Colli, 2023, pp. 394-398, cat. 88 From the large armorial service delivered in stages from October 1750 to the Marchesa Laura Isola of Genoa and decorated with the arms of the Marchesa and her husband, Marchese Francesco Marana. This was the second of two services delivered to the Marchesi and the first armorial production of the manufactory. The first service for the Marchese (delivered in 1749) is decorated with the blue-and-white "a stampa" decoration and the pieces are of much simpler form. Then, in a letter dated 3 October 1750, the Marchesa orders another service "(...) non contento d'avermi favorito l'anno scorso di un servito abbondantissimo bianco, e Turchino, à voluo anche adesso aumentarlo (...)[not content with an abundantly white and turquoise (sic) service you kindly delivered to me last year, I would like to add to it now]." The service is referred to many times in correspondence between the Marchesa and Carlo Ginori: see Andreina d'Agliano (ed.), Porcellane Italiane dalla Collezione Lokar, 2013, no. 86; Johann Kräftner (ed.), Baroque Luxury Porcelain, 2006, pp. 291-292, nos. 116 and 177; and Alessandro Biancalana, Porcellane e Maioliche a Doccia, 2009, p.181ff. for excerpts from that correspondence. The service includes a variety of different elements in the decoration with variations in borders, ornaments around the central cartouches and scattered flowers. Olivia Rucellai notes that these differences are not only due to the various delivery times and painters, but also indicates its exclusive and experimental character as a fun and surprising gift sent by the manufactory's founder to a dear friend (Rita Balleri, Andreina d'Agliano and Claudia Lehner-Jobst (eds.), Fragili Tesori dei Principi - Le vie della porcellana tra Vienna e Firenze, 2018, pp.264-267). Another plate from the service was sold at Sotheby's, New York, 22 April 2020, lot 116, and a soup plate was sold in these rooms, 7 December 2022, lot 79A.