Description:
Chinese export porcelain hexagonal or six-sided spoon tray with fluted and scalloped edges, decorated with the 'Judgment of Paris' pattern in the Famille rose palette of iron red, pink, greens, brown, yellow, blue, black, and gilding. Mythological subjects, which were widely used as themes for decorating Chinese porcelains from about 1735 to 1760, were produced along with religious scenes and subjects from literary and artistic sources. Such subjects were often made to the special order of Europeans and shipped back as permitted 'Private Trade.' This scene, perhaps the most popular European design on Chinese porcelain during the 1740s, illustrates the 'fatal error' ("Illiad", Bk. XXIV) where Paris, son of King Priam, angers Hera (the Roman Juno) and Athena (Minerva) by choosing Aphrodite (Venus) as the most beautiful of the three and offering her the golden apple of Discord; each bribed Paris but Aphrodite promised him Helen of Troy, which gave rise to the Trojan War. The most famous depiction of this scene is the c.1517-1520 engraving by Marcantonio Raimondi (c.1470-1527/34) after a c.1510-1520 drawing by Raphael (1483-1520), with whom Raimondi worked closely, from which this version was probably copied. There are at least six variations of the scene, which allowed the innocent painting of beautiful naked ladies, made in a number of different Chinese workshops between about 1740 and 1755; the scene was also popular on European porcelain. The tray has n edge-to-edge scene of Paris seated under a tree, the three goddesss standing in front of him, Cupid plucking at Venus' drapery, a quiver, dalmation-like dog, peacock, and hills in the background. Spoon trays were commonly used until about 1790, even though saucers were provided. The lobed-hexagonal shape of the spoon tray, also popular for tea stands, was indigenous to China.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+59.060 |
