Unknown artist, Chinese

This plate represents the union of Jan Agges Scholten and his wife, Petronella Hogenberg, wealthy Dutch tobacco merchants. The the Scholten arms—the branch, bulls’ heads, bag of wheat, and lobster—impales the Hogenberg rooster on a gold mount.

Three separate orders were placed for this service, each with slight modifications to the design. The first order commemorated the couple’s copper anniversary, a Dutch celebration marking 12 1/2 years of marriage. This piece was part of the second order, for the couple’s silver (25th) anniversary. A third order was placed for their gold, or 50th, anniversary.