Samson - Plate With Arms From The Guillot Family - In The Style Of The Compagnie Des Indes

plate in the style of the Indies company with decoration in the center of the coat of arms with the arms of the Guillot family - Samson Manufacture - 19th century

The Guillot family was originally from Bordeaux, where Elias was born. They migrated to Amsterdam and several family members became wealthy merchants. Elias migrated to India in 1714 as "junior merchant" and "master of the warehouse" at Masulipatnam in 1715. He then went to the Coromandel coast and became in 1730 "senior merchant", then was promoted to Governor in 1733. In 1737, he went to Batavia where he probably ordered this service. He died unmarried in 1743 in Batavia and bequeathed his heritage to different relationships in London and Amsterdam. It is undoubtedly for this reason that the few known pieces of his service appear in English and American collections.

The great trend of armored table services developed between 1710 and 1720. To follow the fashion, Louis XV ordered the French East India Company a table service with the arms of France on June 2, 1738. The production was longer than expected and the two vessels the Condé and the Duke of Chartres approached Lorient on July 25, 1740. Louis XV probably received his service during the following month. In the absence of the Command memory, the exact composition remains unknown. An imported service generally consisted of between one hundred and twelve and one hundred and twenty-two pieces. These pieces were placed on the royal table during suppers in the cabinets of Louis XV, before being dethroned in 1753 by the celestial blue service delivered by my factory in Vincennes.