Dish with a scene of tea cultivation (one of a pair)

Chinese, for European, probably Dutch, market

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 201

One of a pair of dishes belonged to a table service decorated with scenes of the cultivation of tea. This one depicts rattan being applied to the outside of a container, while on the right a man is packing tea by stomping it down. These cylindrical containers were used to transport the tea to Canton, where it was repacked in metal-lined wooden chests for shipment to Europe and elsewhere. Chinese potters' borrowing of French pottery motifs for the border design speaks to the stylistic cross-currents enabled by the extensive trade in the eighteenth century.

Dish with a scene of tea cultivation (one of a pair), Hard-paste porcelain painted with cobalt blue under transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware), Chinese, for European, probably Dutch, market

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Dish with a scene of tea cultivation (one of a pair), Hard-paste porcelain painted with cobalt blue under transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware), Chinese, for European, probably Dutch, market
Dish with a scene of tea cultivation (one of a pair), Hard-paste porcelain painted with cobalt blue under transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware), Chinese, for European, probably Dutch, market

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.