Chinese Export Blue and White Octagonal Porcelain Platter with Scholar's Scrolls, circa 1770
Circa 1770

This large octagonal platter is one of the more unusual pieces of 18th-century Chinese export blue and white we have handled. Instead of the familiar pagoda-and-river landscape, the Jingdezhen painters filled the well with a scholar's still life: a bundle of scrolls wrapped in trellis-patterned brocade and tied with a ribbon, a tall striped case, a full-blown peony, two ribbon-bound chrysanthemums with streamers trailing below, a hovering butterfly and a fruiting gourd vine with curling tendrils. The composition sits slightly off center, which gives the design an easy, painterly movement across the dish.

The well is framed by a band of shaded scales broken by four small cartouches of foliate scroll, and the wide rim is packed with peonies, chrysanthemums and clustered fruit inside a narrow beaded edge. The cobalt is a deep, slightly inky blue against a cool white glaze, and the canted octagonal outline gives the piece the crisp architectural silhouette that makes these platters so effective on a wall.

Hang it as the anchor of a blue and white plate wall, stand it on a sideboard or console, or lay it flat on a dining table as a centerpiece tray. The scholar's-object design also sits happily with English delftware, creamware and other 18th-century blue and white, and with the antiqued brass and dark wood of a library or study.

Dimensions
Width: 16 1/4 inches (41.3 cm)
Depth: 13 1/4 inches (33.7 cm)
Height: 1 3/4 inches (4.4 cm)

Marks
Unmarked.

Provenance
Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge

Condition
Good antique condition. A chip to the rim at the 4 o'clock position has been invisibly restored.

Historical Context
Made during the Qianlong reign (1736-1795) at the height of the China trade, the dish draws on the imagery of the Chinese literati. Scrolls and book cases stand for painting and calligraphy, two of the Four Accomplishments, while the peony signifies wealth and honor, the butterfly longevity and joy, and the gourd vine abundance. To a Western buyer of the 1770s the design offered a refined and exotic alternative to the standard export landscapes.


Condition:
Alterations: Original Condition Unaltered
Imperfections: Some Imperfections
Condition Notes: chip to rim invisibly repaired

Origin:
China

Materials & Techniques:
Porcelain

Details:
What type of item is it? Vintage / Antique / Used
Country of Origin: China

Original Condition Unaltered; Some Imperfections; chip to rim invisibly repaired