
- Plate
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Plate
- Place of origin:
China (made)
- Date:
1756 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown
- Materials and Techniques:
Porcelain painted in polychrome enamels
- Museum number:
C.376-1926
- Gallery location:
Ceramics, Room 145, case 21, shelf 3
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.