Plate
China
1840-1900
Measurements
5/8 in x 9-1/2 in (dia)
Materials
Underglaze blue decorated porcelain
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, anonymous loan
Accession Number
2011.1
Condition Notes
The plate has several small chips around the rim.
Provenance
Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp
Comments
This plate is a slightly smaller version (9-1/2 inches in diameter rather than 10) of four plates that likely were originally a set (accession nos. 2011.2 through 2011.5). Like them, it displays formulaic Canton design, which was executed hastily. Repetition resulted in a degree of abstraction. Nonetheless, Chinese buildings may be discerned on the right, another on the left edge separated be water, and more in the distance. The two solid blue shapes in the upper right may originally have been two mountains in the distance. The banded decoration around the rim shows far less change.
This plate is flat when compared to usual plate shapes; that is, the rim does not stand high (see accompanying comparative image). This flattening likely occurred after the plate was taken from a mold and before it fully dried before being bisque-fired (after which it was glazed and fired again). That the plate survived testifies to the speed of production and uneven range of quality among Canton objects sold to the West. For other examples, see accession nos. 2011.3 and 2011.5.
