Dish
Unknown Artist
ca. 1752
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Diameter: 14 in. (35.6 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain-Export
Culture
Chinese, for Dutch market
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Helena Woolworth McCann Collection, Gift of Winfield Foundation, 1951
Accession Number
51.86.366
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant dish, crafted around 1752, exemplifies the exquisite hard-paste porcelain produced in China specifically for the Dutch market. 14 inches in diameter, it belongs to the export porcelain tradition, where Chinese artisans tailored high-quality ceramics to European tastes. A prominent coat of arms adorns its surface, likely commissioned for a Dutch family or institution, blending Eastern craftsmanship with Western heraldry in a striking fusion of cultures. Hard-paste porcelain, made from kaolin clay and fired at intense temperatures, was China's closely guarded secret until the 18th ...