Polychrome wares other since 1722 - Page 1

Object 2010680

Teacup and saucer

China

1740-1750

Height of teacup 38 mm (1.50 inch), diameter of rim 73 mm (2.87 inch), diameter of footring 37 mm (1.46 inch), weight 40 grams (1.41 ounce (oz.))

Height of saucer 21 mm (0.83 inch), diameter of rim 115 mm (4.53 inch), diameter of footring 66 mm (2.60 inch), weight 53 grams (1.87 ounce (oz.))

Teacup and saucer on footrings, slightly everted rims. Polychrome decorated in bianco sopra bianco with

a Chinese landscape with two pavilions among rocks and bushes. A huntsman in a pink coat and black hat and leggings carrying a stave runs after his black hound which is chasing a leaping stag. In the foreground two huntsmen in pink and blue oriental robes, each carrying a stave, are engaged in conversation. Round the rim is a bianco sopra bianco border,. The reverse is undecorated. The teacup is decorated en suite. On the base of the teacup an old oval paper collectors label that reads: "525 Lo Litratse".

There are two patterns found on English and Chinese porcelain that can be dated to the early 1750s. One is with grisaille vine leaves and pink grapes the other is with the staghunt; a popular English chinoiserie pattern dating to the early 1750s and possibly to the late 1740s. it is frequently seen on Chinese porcelain painted in England and also on a small number of pieces thought to have been decorated in China in the late 1740-50s. The pattern was used widely by English factories: in famille rose enamels on Worcester 'scratch cross' (1753-56), on Gilbody (1754-58) and Chaffers (1758-62) of Liverpool, also on Derby (1758) and Lowestoft porcelain (1765-70). Worcester cups were decorated with the pattern in London in 1765-70, and Chamberlain reintroduced it at Worcester c.1792 called the 'Hunting pattern in compartments'. The scene is set in a Chinese landscape with two pavilions among rocks and bushes. A huntsman in a pink coat and black hat and leggings carrying a stave runs after his black hound which is chasing a leaping stag. In the foreground two huntsmen in pink and blue oriental robes, each carrying a stave, are engaged in conversation. Round the rim is a gilt spearhead border, A feature found on both Chinese and English porcelain examples is white enamel scrollwork and flowerheads surrounding the scene. This is known as bianco sopra bianco, a term applied to opaque white enamel decoration on tin glazed earthenware in Europe and copied in China on export porcelain as rim decoration, as a filler between panels or as all over decoration. Less subtle than anhua 'hidden' decoration, its success was short lived and was fashionable only from the 1730s until about 1750. Jill McNeile has studies the staghunt pattern and learned to distinguish between Chinese and English bianco sopra bianco scroll work. She has observed that many of the Chinese porcelain pieces decorated with the staghunt in England have Chinese bianco sopra bianco scrollwork either overall so that the English enamels are on top of the white enamel, or filling the spaces between the panels containing the English staghunt scenes, occasionally augmented by English bianco sopra bianco. These apparently have been exported with blank panels. Plain white porcelain decorated with white enamel would have been seen as very dull and probably unsaleable in England so it is not surprising that they were invariably over-decorated. Other variations seen are in the gilt border which is often in ruyi form, in the colour of the rocks which can be a combination of yellow and dark pink or maroon instead of black, and in the colour of the orchid-like flower inside some cups; Chinese painted flowers thought to be gold and English pink. Although there are many different versions of the staghunt on Chinese porcelain, as some closely resemble English factory decoration it is difficult not to conclude that both Chinese and English porcelain were often decorated by the same enamellers. (Espir 2005, pp.227-229)

The painting on this set is done in a fine and delicate way with soft enamel colours. When comparing this set to the English over-decorated set published in Helen Espir's book European Decoration on Oriental Porcelain 1700-1830, (H. Espir, Jorge Welsh Books, London, UK, 2005), p.228, cat. 30, one can only conclude that this set is probably one of the sets that Espir mentioned as being 'a small number of pieces thought to have been decorated in China in the late 1740s-50s'.

Bianco sopra bianco, (Italian: white on white), is a decorative technique of white enamel over white or undecorated glazed porcelain, usually to create a lace-like effect. It was common around 1740-1750. (Kroes 2007, p.653)

For a Chinese teacup and saucer, over-decorated in England with the stag-hunt design, please see:

European Decoration on Oriental Porcelain 1700-1830, (H. Espir, Jorge Welsh Books, London, UK, 2005), p.228, cat. 30.

For other objects overdecorated with the stag-hunt design, please see:

Condition:

Teacup: Some tiny fleabites and two frits to the rim

Saucer: Some tiny fleabites and two frits one with a short connected hairline to the rim.

References:

Jörg 1995, cat. 32

Espir 2005, pp.227-229 & cat. 30

Kroes 2007, p.653

Salisbury 2014, cat. 419

Emden 2015/1, cat. 127

Emden 2015/2, cat. 127

Price: € 499 Currency Converter