Dish thumbnail 1
Dish thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Dish

1700-1800 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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 18th and 19th centuries. These copper wares were also produced in Beijing for imperial consumption. In Chinese they were referred to as 'foreign porcelain' (yangci 洋瓷).


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Painted polychrome enamels on a copper body.
Brief description
Dish, painted enamels on copper, Guangzhou, China, 18th century
Physical description
Copper dish with painted polychrome enamel decoration on both sides. The centre of the face of the dish is decorated three immortal women carrying flowers crossing the sea. The immortal in the upper right stands on a tree branch, the immortals at the centre and lower right stands on the back of a dragon chasing a flaming pearl. A phoenix also stands one legged on the dragon's back. The scene is contained within a six-lobed cartouche. The border of the face of the dish is decorated with six cartouches containing birds, butterflies, trees, fruits and flowers. The base is decorated with a scene of two cranes on a pine branch, framed inside the dish's short ring foot. The wall of the reverse of the dish is decorated with five landscape scenes in cartouches. The cartouches on both the face and reverse of the dish are set against a diaper pattern.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 45.5cm
Credit line
Purchased
Object history
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.
Production
label
Summary
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 18th and 19th centuries. These copper wares were also produced in Beijing for imperial consumption. In Chinese they were referred to as 'foreign porcelain' (yangci 洋瓷).
Collection
Accession number
833-1883

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
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