Basket
ca. 1800 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This fruit basket and two dishes are part of a large dining service decorated with the arms of the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) together with its motto 'Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angliae' [ 'By right of the king and the senate of England'] depicted within a scroll. Established in 1600 the first English East India Company was named ' The Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies,' until it was merged with another company in 1698. Upon the merger the name was changed to the Honourable East India Company and in 1709 a new coat of arms was adopted. By 1711 a new trading post was established in Canton.
The shape of the basket is European in origin and probably modelled on pierced work pieces made in Meissen or Berlin. The feather-leaf handles with vine leaf terminals are reminiscent of the headdresses worn by Asian and South American princes that were popularly depicted in costume and travel prints during the 17th century. Baskets, such as this, were a significant part of the dessert service and were always accompanied by a dish used for holding fruit such as strawberries. During the 18th century it had become increasingly fashionable to eat fruit with cream. The open-work design, linlong in Chinese, was produced by using a sharp shaped knife, widely used on export porcelain during 1780 and 1825. This particular service was probably commissioned by an officer within the Honourable East India Company to celebrate its centenary. The pieces came from Fort St George in Madras, one of the most important trading centres in Asia.
The shape of the basket is European in origin and probably modelled on pierced work pieces made in Meissen or Berlin. The feather-leaf handles with vine leaf terminals are reminiscent of the headdresses worn by Asian and South American princes that were popularly depicted in costume and travel prints during the 17th century. Baskets, such as this, were a significant part of the dessert service and were always accompanied by a dish used for holding fruit such as strawberries. During the 18th century it had become increasingly fashionable to eat fruit with cream. The open-work design, linlong in Chinese, was produced by using a sharp shaped knife, widely used on export porcelain during 1780 and 1825. This particular service was probably commissioned by an officer within the Honourable East India Company to celebrate its centenary. The pieces came from Fort St George in Madras, one of the most important trading centres in Asia.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
Materials and techniques | Porcelain with perforation, painted in overglaze enamels and gilded |
Brief description | Armorial porcelain. Basket and stand, porcelain painted in overglaze enamels and gilding with the arms and motto of the Hornourable East India Company, painted in Canton, China, Qing dynasty, ca. 1800 |
Physical description | Basket and stand, of porcelain, oval, painted in overglaze enamels and gilding; round the edges are borders of leaf ornament, and the basket has two plume-shaped handles. The basket and stand are perforated, and each has in the middle the arms of the Honourable East India Company and its motto on a scroll: 'Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angllæ'. Part of a dinner service from Fort St. George, Madras. |
Styles | |
Marks and inscriptions | 'Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angllæ' painted on a scroll |
Gallery label | BASKET AND DISH WITH THE ARMS OF THE
EAST INDIA COMPANY
About 1800
Porcelain decorated in overglaze enamels and gilding
Jingdezhen; possibly decorated in Canton (Guangzhou)
Museum no. 335E&F-1898
清中期 東印度公司紋章紋果藍及盤子(23/02/2016) |
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. Bought, £13 1s. (335 to J-1898);; |
Production | Attribution date from inventory record |
Subject depicted | |
Summary | This fruit basket and two dishes are part of a large dining service decorated with the arms of the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) together with its motto 'Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angliae' [ 'By right of the king and the senate of England'] depicted within a scroll. Established in 1600 the first English East India Company was named ' The Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies,' until it was merged with another company in 1698. Upon the merger the name was changed to the Honourable East India Company and in 1709 a new coat of arms was adopted. By 1711 a new trading post was established in Canton. The shape of the basket is European in origin and probably modelled on pierced work pieces made in Meissen or Berlin. The feather-leaf handles with vine leaf terminals are reminiscent of the headdresses worn by Asian and South American princes that were popularly depicted in costume and travel prints during the 17th century. Baskets, such as this, were a significant part of the dessert service and were always accompanied by a dish used for holding fruit such as strawberries. During the 18th century it had become increasingly fashionable to eat fruit with cream. The open-work design, linlong in Chinese, was produced by using a sharp shaped knife, widely used on export porcelain during 1780 and 1825. This particular service was probably commissioned by an officer within the Honourable East India Company to celebrate its centenary. The pieces came from Fort St George in Madras, one of the most important trading centres in Asia. |
Bibliographic reference | Kerr, Rose and Luisa E. Mengoni Chinese Export Ceramics London: V&A Publishing, 2011, pp. 9-10, pl. 1 |
Collection | |
Accession number | 335E&F-1898 |
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Record created | January 27, 2009 |
Record URL |
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