Plate
ca. 1738 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Almost all patterns taken from European prints and paintings were commissioned as special orders by captains and supercargoes for their clients in Europe. The Dutch East India Company took part in this specific trade for a limited period between 1734 and 1738, by commissioning the Dutch painter and designer Cornelis Pronk (1691–1759) to produce patterns. These were meant to be sent to Jingdezhen and to be executed onto a vast range of Chinese porcelain, such as garnitures, and dinner and tea services.
This dish, dating to 1738, belongs to this group. The scene, entitled The Doctors or The Doctors Visiting the Emperor, was designed by Pronk in 1735 and sent to China in 1736, arriving only at the end of 1737. The finished products were sent back to the Netherlands at the end of 1738 and in 1739. A second, simpler version of the design with only three figures was sent to China in 1739. This scene was originally designed after a motif in traditional Chinese iconography, illustrating the legend of the woodcutter Wang Shi who encountered three Daoist gods playing chess in a cave.
This dish, dating to 1738, belongs to this group. The scene, entitled The Doctors or The Doctors Visiting the Emperor, was designed by Pronk in 1735 and sent to China in 1736, arriving only at the end of 1737. The finished products were sent back to the Netherlands at the end of 1738 and in 1739. A second, simpler version of the design with only three figures was sent to China in 1739. This scene was originally designed after a motif in traditional Chinese iconography, illustrating the legend of the woodcutter Wang Shi who encountered three Daoist gods playing chess in a cave.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain decorated with overglaze enamels and gilding |
| Brief description | Porcelain dish decorated in overglaze enamels with a design by Cornelius Pronk, China and The Netherlands, Qing dynasty, ca. 1740 |
| Physical description | Porcelain dish painted with overglaze enamels and gilding with a central medallion containing four figures gathered in the open around a small table on which is a dish; two of them hold a fish, and beside them is a peacock on a fence. On the rim, fishes in panels, birds and scrolls. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Gallery label | Plate
Porcelain decorated in the Netherlands with overglaze enamels, from a drawing by the designer Cornelius Pronk.
About 1740
In Europe the design was called the 'Three Doctors'.
Dumergue Bequest(1987) |
| Credit line | Dumergue Bequest |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Mrs. Marie Adeline Dumergue, accessioned in 1912. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Almost all patterns taken from European prints and paintings were commissioned as special orders by captains and supercargoes for their clients in Europe. The Dutch East India Company took part in this specific trade for a limited period between 1734 and 1738, by commissioning the Dutch painter and designer Cornelis Pronk (1691–1759) to produce patterns. These were meant to be sent to Jingdezhen and to be executed onto a vast range of Chinese porcelain, such as garnitures, and dinner and tea services. This dish, dating to 1738, belongs to this group. The scene, entitled The Doctors or The Doctors Visiting the Emperor, was designed by Pronk in 1735 and sent to China in 1736, arriving only at the end of 1737. The finished products were sent back to the Netherlands at the end of 1738 and in 1739. A second, simpler version of the design with only three figures was sent to China in 1739. This scene was originally designed after a motif in traditional Chinese iconography, illustrating the legend of the woodcutter Wang Shi who encountered three Daoist gods playing chess in a cave. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.43-1912 |
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| Record created | October 2, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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