Description:
Chinese export porcelain circular, greyish-white dish decorated in the "Peacock" pattern with the Famille rose palette in blue, green, pink, yellow, orange, translucent and opaque white and gilding. This Peacock design was a popular stock pattern, made both for the English market and for affluent colonial American homes, including that of Woodbury Langdon of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, ), one of the richest merchants of Portsmouth and governor in 1788 and United States senator from 1789-1801. Pieces of his porcelain service survive at the Portsmouth Historical Society and the Governor John Langdon House (his brother’s home) in Portsmouth. Porcelain with this design is also connected with the Portuguese royal family. With Napoleon’s troops surrounding Lisbon in 1807, the Regent John IV and his family fled to Rio de Janeiro, taking most of their belongings with them, including their dinner service. Pieces of their porcelain decorated in the Peacock pattern reside in the collections of the Museu Histórico Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, and the Museu Imperial at Petrópolis. This design enjoyed considerable popularity in England and was copied (design #2083) by Josiah Spode II for his newly-introduced (ca. 1800) bone china, using a colored-in printed version from about 1815, which was continued by succeeding Stoke partnerships through the 19th century.The large flower on the right is a peony, a symbol of love and affection. This flower was traditionally associated with royalty, and its alternative Chinese name, fuguihua, is a homophone for wealth and rank. The peacocks perching on the jagged rockwork symbolize beauty and dignity when they display their colorful feathers. Introduced into China from southern Asia, the peacock became part of Chinese culture, where it was prized and honored for its beauty and size. The well with its orange-red and gilt spearhead border has on the center left a green male peacock and an iron-red peahen with a spray of peonies behind and standing on a grey and peach outcropping of rocks over green horizontal bars; and on the center right a similar rock outcroppings with large scrolling floral spray in orange-red, rose, white and yellow. The dark green leaves are accented by black brush strikes. The rim decoration has four floral sprays, alternating two and two. The rim edge has an orange-red and gilt diaper pattern alternating with four reserves of blue sprays. The outside edge has a brownish underglaze.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+57.198.2 |
