Bowl and saucer

The decoration on this tea bowl and saucer shows they were intended for the European market. Yet the tea bowl has retained its traditional Chinese shape and has no handle. The painting reflects an obvious unfamiliarity with European figures, while on the saucer the French word 'vous' is erroneously written as 'voes'. Far from being seen as defects, however, the naïvety of these errors added to the appeal of the exotic East.

Jingdezhen is a town in central southern China, where all the fine blue-and-white porcelain exported to Europe was made. At roughly the time this bowl and saucer were produced, the Jesuit priest Père d'Entrecolles spent much time there gathering first-hand information on the process of porcelain manufacture. His long letters describing in minute detail the activities in Jingdezhen had an enormous impact on the development of ceramics in Europe.

In the late 17th century, trade between Europe and China was conducted only sporadically. Ships tried their luck at Amoy (Xiamen) or Canton (Guangzhou), carrying engravings and sample tablewares to give to Chinese artisans to copy. Good coordination between the buyer, the Chinese merchant and the supplier was crucial to the success of such ventures.