Dessert Basket and Tray thumbnail 1
Dessert Basket and Tray thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 137, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Dessert Basket and Tray

ca. 1800-1805 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This dessert basket, made at the kilns of Jingdezhen and decorated in Canton, was part of a dinner service from Fort St. George in Madras, India. From the end of the 18th century the commissions for Chinese export wares declined rapidly, due to the rise of competitive European factories, such as Wedgwood in England, and the unfavourable taxation system for imported ceramics. This commission was one of the last made by the English East India Company in China for its India Presidencies.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Basket
  • Tray
Materials and techniques
Porcelain decorated with overglaze enamels and gilding
Brief description
Porcelain dessert basket and tray, decorated in Canton with enamels and gilding, China, Qing dynasty, ca. 1800-1805
Physical description
Porcelain dessert basket and tray, of oval shape and perforated, painted in overglaze enamels and gilding; the edges are decorated with a narrow band of stylised motifs and the basket's handles are plume-shaped. Both have the arms of the Honourable East India Company in the middle with its motto 'Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angliae' contained in a scroll.
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
  • Arms of the Honourable East India Company in the middle
  • 'Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angliae' in a scroll in the middle
Gallery label
Dessert basket and tray Porcelain decorated in Canton with overglaze enamels and gilding Arms of the Honourable English East India Company About 1800-1805(1987)
Object history
Purchased from a source not recorded in the Asia Department registers, accessioned in 1898. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This dessert basket, made at the kilns of Jingdezhen and decorated in Canton, was part of a dinner service from Fort St. George in Madras, India. From the end of the 18th century the commissions for Chinese export wares declined rapidly, due to the rise of competitive European factories, such as Wedgwood in England, and the unfavourable taxation system for imported ceramics. This commission was one of the last made by the English East India Company in China for its India Presidencies.
Bibliographic references
  • Clunas, Craig (ed.) Chinese Export Art and Design. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1987. p. 78, fig. 61.
  • Lu, Zhangshen, chief ed. Passion for Porcelain: masterpieces of ceramics from the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Beijing: National Museum of China, 2012. p.110
Collection
Accession number
335C&D-1898

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Record createdOctober 2, 2008
Record URL
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