Platter
Unknown Artist
1740–50
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Overall: 11 1/8 × 14 5/8 in. (28.3 × 37.1 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain-Export
Culture
Chinese, for British 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
51.86.106
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant platter, crafted in hard-paste porcelain around 1740–50, exemplifies the pinnacle of Chinese export ceramics tailored for the British market. 11 1/8 × 14 5/8 inches, it features delicate motifs of birds and a prominent coat of arms likely commissioned for a British family or institution. These armorial designs were a hallmark of luxury tableware, blending Chinese artistry with Western heraldry to create personalized status symbols for elite dining. Hard-paste porcelain, perfected in China centuries earlier, was prized for its translucent durability and fine white body—qualities E...