Description:
Chinese export porcelain dish decorated with floral sprays and a lotus-petal design in the Famille rose palette in iron red, shades of pink, green, blue, brown, turquoise, white, and gilding. Chinese considered the lotus ('nelumbo nucifero'), a plant native to China, to be a powerful symbol with several meanings: association with harmony since the Chinese name, 'hehua', and the word for harmony have the same pronunciation; symbol of Buddha representing his purity and transcendence; symbol of fertility and abundance with its seed pod representing the wish for many children, especially sons; and symbol of Daoism where it is the emblem of 'He Xian Gu', one of the eight Daoist immortals. The lotus was both a popular design on Chinese porcelain found on ceramics as early as the Han dynasty (206 B.C. - 9 A.D.) and in the export market; while Westerners appreciated the design, few understood its significance to Chinese culture. Godden suggests that the above average quality of many of these wares meant that they were Private Trade goods ordered by the individual supercargoes, but Howard states that it is likely that larger consignments were also ordered by the East India companies. Both the interior and exterior sides have a red and gilt stylized foliate sprigs over a row of overlapping pink lotus petals outlined and highlighted in iron-red. The well has a thick scrolling branch with floral sprays. A lotus decorated Chinese export dish was excavated from the site of the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, VA.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+57.088 |
