Plate thumbnail 1
Plate thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 145

Plate

1756 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This dish was produced at the kilns of Jingdezhen in southeast China in 1756, and made by special order for a European customer. The design of the ship in full sail with the Dutch flag celebrates the journey of a Dutch East Indian Company ship to China, and the inscription informs us that the dish was made for its captain Jacob Ryzik.

In the 18th century Europeans greatly admired the white and resistant body of Chinese porcelain, available at low cost, but in addition to traditional shapes and designs, they also ordered tableware and household objects made in imitation of western items or with specific decorative motifs, including coat of arms, monograms and inscriptions. The East India trading companies supplied Chinese potters of models and patterns to copy.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Porcelain painted in polychrome enamels
Brief description
Porcelain dish, decorated in polychrome enamels with a ship flying the Dutch flag and an inscription, Jingdezhen, China, Qing dynasty, 1756
Physical description
Circular, with shallow well and and wide, flat rim; painted in the middle with a three-masted ship in full sail, flying the Dutch flag and pennants; round the well is a border of cresting in red and gold; on the rim, in an oval panel outlined in pale blue foliate scrolls with a ribbon under a red and gold crown is an inscription; at the edge is a narrow border of small crowded foliage and flowers.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 32.07cm
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
Inscription on the rim T: SCMIP: VRYBVRG CEVOERTDOORCAPITEYN I ACOB, RYZIK INCHINA INT IAAR. 1756.
Gallery label
Dutch East India Company cup, saucer and plate China, (37) 1728; (38) 1756 The cup and saucer carry the symbol of the Dutch East India Company, while the plate shows one of their ships. Museum nos. 645&A-1907, given by Julia C. Gulland; C.376-1926, given by HM King George(September 2009)
Subjects depicted
Summary
This dish was produced at the kilns of Jingdezhen in southeast China in 1756, and made by special order for a European customer. The design of the ship in full sail with the Dutch flag celebrates the journey of a Dutch East Indian Company ship to China, and the inscription informs us that the dish was made for its captain Jacob Ryzik.

In the 18th century Europeans greatly admired the white and resistant body of Chinese porcelain, available at low cost, but in addition to traditional shapes and designs, they also ordered tableware and household objects made in imitation of western items or with specific decorative motifs, including coat of arms, monograms and inscriptions. The East India trading companies supplied Chinese potters of models and patterns to copy.
Collection
Accession number
C.376-1926

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Record createdFebruary 24, 2003
Record URL
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