The arms are those of Charles Francois, Comte de Lannoy et de Wattignies and Alexandrine Charlotte Marie de Hangouart, Baronne d’Avelin, whose marriage took place in Lille on 28th March 1762.

This écuelle (broth bowl) is one of the finest pieces of Tournai porcelain in existence. It is very finely painted with armorials and decorated with underglaze blue, enamelled reserves, and very richly tooled gilding in the ‘Gold Anchor’ style of the Chelsea porcelain factory. The enamelling is firmly attributed to Joseph (Henri-Joseph) Duvivier and the gilding rather more tentatively to Michel-Joseph Duvivier. The Chelsea factory had been founded by the Liége goldsmith Nicholas Sprimont, who recruited a number of Chelsea’s key workmen from the Low Countries, including Joseph Willems, his figure modeller, and a number of painters named Duvivier. When production declined in the 1760s, Willems and the Duviviers returned to the Continent, all finding work at Tournai. The Duviviers returned in 1762-3, clearly bringing Chelsea styles of decoration with them. In addition to being an exceptionally fine example of Tournai porcelain, the écuelle is a fascinating illustration of the link between the two factories, and, by virtue of its dateable armorials, a major documentary piece for Tournai.