Accession Number
1969/2.93

Title
Chinoiserie plate with four figures in a landscape

Artist(s)
Dutch

Object Creation Date
circa 1660

Medium & Support
tin-glazed earthenware (delftware)

Dimensions
2 3/16 x 13 13/16 x 13 13/16 in. (5.4 x 35 x 35 cm);2 3/16 x 13 13/16 x 13 13/16 in. (5.4 x 35 x 35 cm);x 13 13/16 in. x 35 cm

Credit Line
The Paul Leroy Grigaut Memorial Collection

Subject matter
This Chinoiserie plate, made in the Dutch city of Delft in imitation of imported Chinese porcelain, depictsfour men sitting in a landscape. a stylized scene that evokes traditional Chinese images of scholars conversing in a natural setting. The figure seated under the arch holds an object in his lap that the leftmost figure leans forward to inspect more closely, while the man on the right looks away into the distance. The fourth figure, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, may represent a servant, although the artist who painted this plate was primarily concerned with imitating decorative effects, and was probably unaware of the differentiation of status made through careful distinctions of gesture and dress in Chinese painting.

Physical Description
Four men sit under a canopied arch in a Chinese-style landscape with pine trees and a river in the well of this blue-and-white plate. The figure seated under the center of the arch holds an object on his lap, which the leftmost figure leans forward to inspect more closely. The old man who sits at the right of the group looks off to his right. The paneled border of the rim is decorated with four reserves featuring the figure of a seated Chinese man. The reserves are separated by a pair of narrow panels flanking a larger central panel. The narrow panels contain a stylized flower motif, while the larger panels are decorated with more elaborate floral designs.

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
plate

Collection Area
Western

Rights
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Keywords
ceramics (object genre)
delftware
landscapes (representations)
plates (timepiece components)
scholars