A very elegant pair of Chinese export porcelain 7 1/2″ bowls  decorated in sepia and gilding in a very neoclassical design with a central classical urn and borders of entwined ribbon and floral swags. From a service belonging to Thomas Willing (1731-1821) of Philadelphia, a prominent merchant, delegate to the Continental Congress of 1775-1776, and first president of the First Bank of the United States. Though he voted against issuing the Declaration of Independence, he later donated five thousand pounds to the American revolutionary cause. Both pieces in good condition and a great expression of Federal period style.     The major portion of this service is at Bayou Bend in Houston, Texas  .Circa 1800-1810.