Dish, painted enamels on copper, Guangzhou, China, 18_th century

The centre of this dish is decorated with a scene of three European figures in a Chinese style landscape. The left hand figure carries a gun, the central figure is on horseback, and the right hand figure carries a bottle. The central circular scene is separated from the rim by a blue band set against a white ground. The rim of the dish is decorated with scrolling floral motifs set against a pale-purple ground. The floral blooms in the decorative scroll are interspersed with alternating blue and pink bats.

Purchased.

Purchased from Dr. S. W. Bushell (Beijing), accessioned in 1883. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.

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Painted enamels of this kind were commonly known in English as 'Canton enamel', after the main centre of their production in South China. They were popular export products in the 18_th and 19_th centuries. These copper wares were also produced in Beijing for imperial consumption. In Chinese they were referred to as 'foreign porcelain' (yangci 洋瓷).

835-1883