Behind The Designs: Martha Washington's "States" China

**Admin** Fri Sep 30, 2011 7:59 pm

There is probably no china more highly prized in American collections than are the remaining pieces of the Martha Washington “States” China. Originals of this pattern are so rare that no such plate ever has been sold at a New York auction house.

Known as the most well-known of the various china patterns of President George Washington and a gift in 1796 from a Dutch trader, this Canton-made china is perhaps one of the most recognizable presidential chinas in our history. Originally thought to have approximately 45 pieces, this gift of Chinese export porcelain dinnerware arrived in Philadelphia on April 24, 1796 aboard the Lady Louisa via Capetown.

Dutch East India Company manager, Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest had directed the design and purchase of this beautiful dinnerware with attention to every detail. From selection of the items – normally, this set would have been considered a “tea service” for this period - to the design elements – trader van Braam was sole responsible for the development of this pattern. The motto in the ribbon in the design “Decus Et Tutamen AB Illo (Latin for Glory and the Defense of It) were the sentiments that van Braam had for the new country called America. The names of the fifteen states were encircled in a linked chain to symbolize strength, while the blue snake encircling the pattern represents perpetuity or eternity by forming a continuous circle with the snake’s tail being clinched in its mouth. The central portion of the design is where Martha Washington’s initials are presented on a green circle, set against a golden sunburst.

From the gold in both the sunburst and the snake, along with the green in the center shield, the colors used in the overall design were enamel colors developed at the time by the Chinese to appeal to Western preferences and tastes.

Martha bequeathed the service to her grandson, George Washington Parke Custis who left the china to his daughter, Mary Custis Lee, wife of General Robert E. Lee. Tradition has it that Union soldiers rolled barrels of china down the hill from Arlington House, Lee’s home and now part of Arlington Cemetery, to storage in the United States Patent Office.

Reproductions of the Washington “States” china are available through The Shops at Mount Vernon at http://www.mountvernon.org/store/shopping/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewitem/pid/1115/

Woodmere’s complete line of George Washington’s “States” china can be seen by going to www.WoodmereChina.com and going to Woodmere’s White House Collection section.

About The Author
David Turner is President of Woodmere China and an avid fan and historian of presidential china.
The author invites you to visit:
http://www.woodmerechina.com

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