D2420. Blue and White Octagonal Armorial Charger

Delft, circa 1710

Marked LVE for Lambertus van Eenhoorn, owner of the Metaale Pot (Metal Pot) from 1691-1721, or his widow Margaretha Teckmann until 1724

A heavy octagonal armorial charger depicting the coat of arms of the von Thurn & Taxis family: two towers with crossed fleur-de-lis and arrows behind them, two lions rampant, all surrounding a badger in a medallion, held by two lions, the inner rim decorated with a roundel of scrollwork, and the border with a lambrequin decoration.

DIMENSIONS
Diameter: 31.4 cm. (12.4 in.)

NOTE
The German noble von Thurn und Taxis family has been known since the middle of the seventeenth century, but according to family legend, their forerunners originated in Northern Italy, and family history goes back to circa 1200.

The family is most known for its key role in creating an international postal service. In the late 13th century, Omodeo Tasso (?-1290) from the small village Cornello set up the ‘Compagnia dei Corrieri,’ a family-driven National postal service that connected Milan with Venice and Rome. In the fifteenth century, courier connections between Innsbruck, Italy, Vienna, and Brussels were realized by other family members. The services were expanded to Habsburg Netherlands, France, and Spain. Their very efficient way of transporting letters resulted in a five and a half-day travel between Innsbruck and Brussels, which was extremely fast at that time. In 1615, Emperor Matthias rewarded the family for its efficiency by elevating the Imperial Postal Service to a hereditary fief in the male and female line. This made it possible for Alexandrine von Taxis (1589- 1666) to become head of the Imperial Postal Service on behalf of her late husband from 1628.

Alexandrine commissioned genealogical research to uncover the source of the family’s ambition. The claim was made that they descended from the famous Italian noble family ‘Della Torre’ or ‘Torriani,’ noble rulers in Northern Italy until the early fourteenth century. Upon this claim, she requested a name change for which Ferdinand III, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1637-1657, gave permission.
The addition of ‘Thurn,’ the German word for ‘Torre’ (Tower), to the Taxis name was formally approved in 1650. The coat of arms was merged, resulting in a shield with a badger in the center, diagonally flanked by two towers alternated with two standing lions. In 1695, the family was entitled ‘Imperial Princes.’

An LVE-marked charger of oblong form, featuring the same coat of arms of the Thurn & Taxis family and identical decoration was auctioned as lot 250 at Christies, Amsterdam at October 3, 2006. Its existence provides evidence that this exceptionally heavy octagonal dish, by Delft standards, was part of a larger dinner set.