Dish
ca. 1740-1750 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This dish, produced in Jingdezhen in southern China and decorated in Canton, belongs to a group of Chinese export wares with subjects from European mythology, which became particularly popular between 1750 and 1760.
The scene on this dish illustrates the story of the god Mercury who appeared to Penelope disguised as a goat when she was tending her father's flocks in the mountains of Arcadia. The subject was probably taken from a European engraving; the characteristic hatched and stippled techniques of European prints are also imitated in black enamel, in the style known as en grisaille.
The scene on this dish illustrates the story of the god Mercury who appeared to Penelope disguised as a goat when she was tending her father's flocks in the mountains of Arcadia. The subject was probably taken from a European engraving; the characteristic hatched and stippled techniques of European prints are also imitated in black enamel, in the style known as en grisaille.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain decorated in overglaze enamels and gilding |
| Brief description | Porcelain dish decorated with overglaze enamels and gilding after a European print, China, Qing dynasty, ca. 1740-1750 |
| Physical description | Porcelain dish decorated in overglaze enamels and gilt. The central scene is painted in black en grisaille in imitation of the hatched and stippled techniques of a European print, with a goddess reclining on a bank with two children, one carrying a trident and the other riding a goat and holding a crown; a city is visible in the background. The scene is encircled by a laub-und-bandelwerk border in brown; the rim is decorated with a gilt spear-head pattern. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Gallery label | Dish
Porcelain decorated in Canton with overglaze enamels.
The god Mercury disguised as a goat approaching the nymph Penelope.
About 1740-1750
Basil Ionides Bequest(1987) |
| Credit line | Basil Ionides Bequest |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This dish, produced in Jingdezhen in southern China and decorated in Canton, belongs to a group of Chinese export wares with subjects from European mythology, which became particularly popular between 1750 and 1760. The scene on this dish illustrates the story of the god Mercury who appeared to Penelope disguised as a goat when she was tending her father's flocks in the mountains of Arcadia. The subject was probably taken from a European engraving; the characteristic hatched and stippled techniques of European prints are also imitated in black enamel, in the style known as en grisaille. |
| Bibliographic reference | Clunas, Craig (ed.). Chinese Export Art and Design. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1987, p. 66, fig. 52. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.80-1963 |
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| Record created | October 2, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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