A Chinese Blue and White Lotus Pond Cup W: 9.5cm; H: 6cmThis lot was offered by a private collector from France. It features a seal with the Count's crown emblem and the flag of General Montauban's hometown, below the crown. The seal reads "CHARLES COUSIN-MONTAUBAN,TE DE PALIKAO," indicating that this collection belonged to General Montauban,te de Palikao.Le general Cousin-Montauban,te De Palikao (1796-1878).Charles Cousin-Montauban,te de Palikao was born in Paris on June 24, 1796, to Jean-Antoine Cousin-Montauban and Appoline de Launay.He joined the Gardes du Corps de Monsieur regiment in July 1814 and was appointed as a second lieutenant in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in December 1815.He served as a lieutenant in the Royal Guard's 1st Cavalry Grenadier Corps from 1824 to 1826.In September 1851, he was appointed a general by Prince President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte and tasked with operations in Oran. On December 28, 1855, he was appointed as a brigadier general andmanded multiple districts: Limoges, Tours, and Rouen.In 1859, French-Chinese diplomatic relations deteriorated, leading to the dispatch of a French expeditionary force to China.On November 13, 1859, Cousin-Montauban was appointed as the overallmander of the expedition's land and sea forces. It consisted of 8,000 troops divided into two brigades led by Generals Jannin and Collineau. On August 14, the allied forces led by Cousin-Montauban landed in Baitang and captured the Dagukou Fortress on August 26. On September 21, they defeated 20,000 Mongolian cavalry led by Sengge Rinchen in the Battle of Palikao, achieving victory in the expedition and acquiring significant wealth and important Chinese collectibles.Cousin-Montauban returned to France in 1861 and brought back a considerable amount of wealth acquired during the war to his family's collection. Due to his success in the expedition, he was granted the title ofte de Palikao by Emperor Napoleon III in 1862. He then created his own medal seal and stamped it onto his collected treasures, which were added to his family's collection.Cousin-Montauban died at his home on 75 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore in Paris on January 8, 1878.Medals and honors received by Montauban: On April 9, 1870, he was appointed by Emile Ollivier, Prime Minister of France as Minister of War and took over the government on August 9 at the request of the Empress. In 1834, he was awarded the Legion of Honor Knight Medal, in 1844 the Officer Medal, in 1848 the Colonel Medal, and on December 28, 1859, he was granted the Officer Medal, and on November 28, 1861, he was promoted to the Grand Cross. Montauban was awarded the Military Medal on November 26, 1861. He received the Crimean Medal, the Order of Saint-Gregoire-le-Grand, the Order of the Bath, and the Swedish Sword from Her Majesty Queen of England.