CIRCA 1738

The Dutch draughtsman, Cornelis Pronk (1691-1754), was commissioned by directors of the Dutch East India Company in 1734 to produce designs to be transferred on to Chinese porcelain, which they hoped would be more successful than Chinese designs. However, due to the expense of transferring his designs onto porcelain, the volume of Pronk's work is relatively small, and his designs ceased in 1738. Two watercolours by Pronk of his designs 'La Dame au Parasol' and 'The Doctors' Visit' are in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. This design, sometimes known as 'The Doctors' Visit to the Emperor' was commissioned in 1735 and was the second design drawn by Pronk, the first being 'La Dame au Parasol' in 1734. According to records, only two orders of this design were believed to have been placed: the first was completed and sent to the Netherlands on the Hogersmilde at the end of 1738, followed by the second order the next year. Only six dinner services were ordered in this palette, although the design was also executed in blue and white.