Fytche Armorial Sauce Boat
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A Chinese armorial porcelain sauce boat, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng period, abt. 1723-30. The Fytche arms are in jade green and gold, with decoration in underglaze Nankin blue. The crest, shown on the right, is in gold and red. This piece is from a set of china, probably purchased by Capt. Robert Fytche (1700-1740), who made frequent trips to the Orient, and brought back to his father, William Fytche of Danbury Place (abt. 1671-1728).
The bulk of the service is owned by a descendant of Ashbel Parmelee Fitch, Jr., No. 8048, but a few pieces are held by various parties in England. The sauce boat, until recently, was one of this latter group and came on the market in December 1999, when it was purchased by the author. It is illustrated in David Sanctuary Howard, Chinese Armorial Porcelain. (London: Faber and Faber, Ltd.) There is a discussion of the Fytche porcelain in John T. Fitch, William Fytche of Little Canfield and his Descendants (see link below).