Artist unknown (Chinese, made for the American market)
China
Tea Bowl and Dish
INV-7782
Artist unknown (Chinese, made for the American market)
Chinac. 1784–95
Tea Bowl and Dish
Artist unknown (Chinese, made for the American market) China →chinese exportqianlongasianChinese (culture or style)drinking vesselporcelain
Date
c. 1784–95
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain, glaze, with enamels in colors, and gilding
Dimensions
Cup: 4.5 × 8.6 cm (1 3/4 × 3 3/8 in.); Saucer: 3 × 14.1 cm (1 3/16 × 5 9/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Bequest of Frederick S. Colburn
This tea bowl and dish, decorated with an American sailing vessel and the initials CWJER (or CW & ER), are among the many examples of souvenir ware that captains and trade merchants special ordered from the porcelain shops in Canton to commemorate their journeys. The decoration on these pieces is of a more personal character than the average stock porcelain. Motifs for commemorative ware were most often copied from illustrations on mercantile and cargo documentation and thus probably bore little resemblance to the actual vessels.
Also notable
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