30-Germany: rare octagonal tin-glazed earthenware... Lot 30

30-Germany: rare octagonal tin-glazed earthenware dish with the coat of arms of the princely family von Thurn und Taxis on an ermine background and under a closed crown. Period: 2nd quarter of the 18th century. Condition: chips, wear and tear and visible enamel chips. No restoration. Size : 31x31 cm. Estimate: As early as the 15th century, the Tour et Taxis family is at the origin of the first international postal service in Europe. The adventure of the "Tassis" post office began with Ruggiero I de Tassis who was chosen by Emperor Frederick III (1415-1493) to establish in 1460 the postal lines from Innsbruck to Italy. On 11 December 1489, Jeannetto de Tassis, grandson of Ruggiero, became Grand Master of the Post Office. Around 1500, François de Tassis, Jeannetto's brother, was appointed Master of the Courts at Maximilian's Court. On March 1, 1502, Francis became, by letters patent, "Captain and General Master of the Post Office" of King Philip the Fair. In 1512, François de Tassis as well as his brothers and nephews became noblemen. In 1520, Charles V appointed Jean Baptiste de Tassis Master General of the Post Office. In 1541, at the death of the latter, François III de Tassis took over the general direction of the imperial post office. Léonard de Tassis (1522-1612) took over this high office in 1543. In 1569, the Cardinal de Granvelle wrote from Rome to Léonard de Tassis to complain about receiving his mail from Brussels a month late! In 1612, Lamoral I Count of Tassis succeeded his father Leonardo as General Master of the Post Office. The death of Lamoral I de Tassis, on 7 July 1624, marked an important turning point in the history of the Post Office. From 1681, Eugene Alexandre de Tassis was elevated to the title of Prince of Tour et Taxis in the Spanish Netherlands. In 1695, Emperor Leopold I elevated Eugene Alexander (1652-1714) to the title of Prince of Tour and Taxis of the Holy German Empire. Anselme François (1681-1739) was Prince of Tour et Taxis from 1714 to 1739. On Anselme's death in 1739, Alexandre Ferdinand (1704-1773) took the title of Prince of Tour et Taxis... (See : Berthe Delepinne, " History of the international post office in Belgium under the great postmasters of the Tassis family ", Ed. Wellens & Godenne Bxl, 1952). Expert: Laurence LENNE artetpatrimoine@skynet.be