JVV 0498
Delft, circa 1680
Caption: VIII to the back
The dish has a wide, spreading flange and is painted with a chinoiserie decor in blue and purple. An oriental landscape features three figures in front of a balustrade. In the centre stands a tall Chinese gentleman, he is flanked by two servants. On his left is a servant with a book in his hands, the second servant is on his right.
Dimensions: diameter 39 cm / 15.35 in.
Provenance: The Robert G. Vater collection
Similar examples
A smaller dish with chinoiserie decor in blue and purple by the same painter and Delftware pottery is also in our collection, under number JVV 0527.
Explanatory note
The decoration is inspired by Chinese porcelain from the transitional period at the end of the Ming and the start of the Qing dynasty. The porcelain of the last Ming emperor Chongzhen (reigned 1628-1644), the first Qing emperor Shunzi (reigned 1644-1662) and the initial period until 1674 of his successor Kangxi (reigned 1662-1722) may have served as examples for this dish. The transition period in China lasted more than 60 years (1620-1683) and was accompanied by much unrest, conflict and war. The Ming dynasty finally fell in 1644, but it took decades before peace returned to China. For example, the porcelain kilns in Jingdezhen, the main porcelain city in China, were destroyed in 1674.
