ENGRAVED JOHANNEUM MARK N=176, YONGZHENG PERIOD (1723-1735)

The so-called Johanneum mark on this dish was used for porcelains from the collection of Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony (1670-1733). Porcelains from the old Collection, an inventory of which was started in 1721, bear these engraved marks, which were colored black, of numbers and letters corresponding to the particular class of porcelain, ie., an 'H' written sideways (as seen on the present dish), denoting 'green Chinese'. It is believed that the presence of the Johanneum mark indicates that the piece entered the collection prior to the death of King Augustus in 1733. In 1860, Queen Victoria made a gift of a similar dish to the Victoria and Albert Museum.