A rare famille rose Cape Town plate

CIRCA 1740

Details

A rare famille rose Cape Town plate
Circa 1740
Decorated in coloured enamels and gilt with a view of Cape Town from the bay with various Dutch ships and rowing boats in the foreground, in the horizon Table Mountain flanked by Lion's Head and Signal Hill within an iron-red and gilt lotus meander and a band of small lappets, the rim encircled by a Meissen-style gilt strapwork border (rim crack)
22.7 cm. diam.

Lot Essay

From the 17th Century onwards Table Bay became an important stop for ships travelling between Europe and China as it was half way. Several versions have been made of this view of which this one is believed to be the first. For a similar plate, see F. Hervouët & Y. Bruneau, La Porcelaine des Compagnies des Indes à Décor Occidentale, p. 38, fig. 2.5. For five other versions of this subjectmatter, see p. 39, fig. 2.6 - 2.10. For another example, see Lunsingh Scheurleer, Chinese Export Porcelain, fig. 242.
A serie of eight plates were sold individually in our Amsterdam Rooms, 25 March 1986, lots 247-253a.

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