Plate

Art Historical Context

This elegant hard-paste porcelain plate, in China for the European market during the second quarter the 18th century exemplifies the booming trade in export ceramics that captivated Western collectors. Measuring nearly 9 inches in diameter, it features delicate overglaze enamel decorations inspired by the Baroque painter Francesco Albani, known for his mythological scenes filled with graceful figures. The central motif likely depicts frolicsome female nudes accompanied by Cupid and playful dolphins, evoking themes love and the sea from classical antiquity—a popular European fantasy rendered in vibrant colors on the smooth, translucent porcelain surface. Chinese artisans mastered hard-paste porcelain centuries before Europe, firing kaolin clay at high temperatures to create a durable, resonant body prized for its whiteness and strength. Factories in Jingdezhen catered to foreign tastes by copying designs from prints or paintings sent by merchants, blending Eastern technical prowess with Western iconography. This plate, part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Helena Woolworth McCann Collection, highlights the cultural exchange of the era, when such wares graced dining tables from Versailles to colonial homes, symbolizing luxury and global connectivity.

About the Artist

Francesco Albani · 1578–1660

Collaborated with Annibale Carracci and Domenichino on many decorative schemes, including some in the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. He also painted altarpieces, idyllic landscapes, and allegorical paintings. Comment on works: Religious; Mythology