Plate (one of a pair)
ca. 1735–40
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain with gilding
Dimensions
Overall: 1 7/8 × 15 1/4 in. (4.8 × 38.7 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain-Export
Culture
Chinese, possibly for Scottish market
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Helena Woolworth McCann Collection, Purchase, Winfield Foundation Gift, 1962
Accession Number
62.187.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite plate, one of a pair, showcases the artistry of Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer, a renowned 17th-century French painter celebrated for his vibrant floral still lifes. Produced around 1735–40, it exemplifies Chinese hard-paste porcelain export ware, meticulously crafted for Western markets—possibly Scotland. Measuring just under 2 inches high and 15 inches across, its delicate form and gilded accents highlight the technical mastery of Jingdezhen kilns, where true porcelain was first perfected centuries earlier. The plate's floral motifs, drawn from Monnoyer's intricate designs, reflect t...
About the Artist
Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer · 1636–1699
Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer (1636-1699) was a Franco-Flemish painter who became the most distinguished and formative still life and flower painter of the French Baroque period. Born in Lille, he trained in Antwerp where he absorbed the techniques of Flemish masters before moving to Paris by 1650. Patronized by Charles Le Brun, Louis XIV's Minister of Arts, Monnoyer worked extensively on decorative pain...