SET OF FOUR CHINESE VERTE-IMARI 'GOVERNOR DUFF' PLATES
QING DYNASTY, YONGZHENG PERIOD, CA. 1730
清雍正 約1730年 五彩西洋人物圖盤（共四件）each painted with a European Governor-General and his wife in a fenced garden with a hound, enclosed by elaborate border (4)
23.4cm diameter each
From Penicuik House, Midlothian, Scotland. Penicuik Estate, situated to the southwest of Edinburgh at the foot of the Pentlands, has been owned by the Clerk family since the middle of the 17th century. Sits at the heart of this designed landscape is Penicuik House, the finest and most influential example of Palladian architecture in Scotland. The 18th-century Palladian mansion was built by Sir James Clerk, 3rd Baronet, in 1761. It was devastated by fire in 1899. During the fire, a great deal of effort was channelled into salvaging the furnishings. The once magnificent building has stood as a roofless shell for over 100 years. The stables and coach house of the original Penicuik House, converted after the fire into the ‘new’ Penicuik House where the Clerk family reside to this day. A significant selection of property from Penicuik House was sold in this saleroom, 27 March 2024, lot 1-69; A smaller selection of Asian Art from Penicuik House was also sold in this saleroom, 13 March 2024, lot 189-198. 
The identity of this couple remains a mystery, some scholars think the male figure is one of several historical figures, including King Louis XIV or the Dutch Governor of Batavia Diederik Durven, however these attributions are not confirmed.Two very similar sets of four ‘Governor Duff' plates, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng period, respectively sold at Christie's London, 10 April 2019, lot 23, and 11 September 2019, lot 37.