A Chinese Export Porcelain Dish in Rouge De Fer and Gilding, ‘The Baptism of Christ’, Yongzheng 1723 – 1735

An 18th century Chinese export porcelain dish, decorated with ‘The Baptism of Christ’ in Rouge de Fer and gilding, Yongzheng 1723-1735.

SOLD

Condition
The back of the rim has some shallow flake type chips ; 11 x 6 mm, this is mostly glaze. 4 x 3 mm again mostly a glaze chip. There are other smaller rim chips and an area of deep fritting/glaze chipping. The footrim has a small deep v shaped chip.
Size
Diameter : 27.3 cm (10 3/4 inches)
Provenance
N/A
Stock number
24830
References
For a Chinese export porcelain dish of this design sold recently see stock number 24827. 'The Baptism of Christ' in Rouge de Fer see : China for the West, Chinese Porcelain & other Decorative Arts for Export Illustrated from the Mottahedeh Collection (David S. Howard and John Ayers, Sotheby's,1978) Volume 1 page 316, plate 309. For another Baptism plate See : Ancient Chinese Trade Ceramics from The British Museum (Regina Krahl and Jessica Harrison-Hall, National Museum of History, Republic of China,1994. ISBN 957-00-3623-0) page 56, fig. 21a. A further example is illustrated in : Chinese Export Porcelain, Chine de Commande ( D.F. Lunsingh Scheurleer, Faber and Faber, 1974 ) page 162, plate 57. Another example is in : La Porcelaine Des Compagnies Des Indes A Decor Occidental (Francois et Nicole Hervouet, Yves Bruneau. Flammarion, 1986. ISBN 2-08-010990-1) page 263, plate 11.14. 'The Baptism of Christ' in blue and white see : China for the West, Chinese Porcelain & other Decorative Arts for Export Illustrated from the Mottahedeh Collection (David S. Howard and John Ayers, Sotheby's,1978) Volume 1 page 313, plate 306. For another Blue and White example, 51 cm in diameter, see : Ancient Chinese Trade Ceramics from The British Museum (Regina Krahl and Jessica Harrison-Hall, National Museum of History, Republic of China,1994. ISBN 957-00-3623-0) page 56, plate 21. Another example is in : La Porcelaine Des Compagnies Des Indes A Decor Occidental (Francois et Nicole Hervouet, Yves Bruneau. Flammarion, 1986. ISBN 2-08-010990-1) page 263, plate 11.13.

Photos

Information

 Yongzheng ‘Baptism of Christ’ Designs :

There are two versions of this biblical scene on Chinese export porcelain, one in Blue and White is normally dated slightly earlier than the Rouge de Fer version. I tend to think they are the same date date, made during the Yongzheng period 1723 -1735. The Blue and White porcelain version, often of very large sized dishes, is more complicated in design than the other version and appears to be influenced by Delftware. There are diaper borders and luscious looking fruit within the border. The Rouge de Fer pattern has a border in the Baroque style with wonderful chubby cherubs holding ribbons attached to the cartouche at the bottom and to a basket of flowers at the top.

The central scene of both the Blue and White as well as the Rouge de Fer examples depicts the following subject :

Matthew 3:16 is the sixteenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Jesus has just been baptised by John the Baptist and in this verse the Holy Spirit comes to him like a dove.

In the King James Bible the text reads:

And Jesus, when he was baptised, went
up straightway out of the water: and,
lo, the heavens were opened unto him,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending
like a dove, and lighting upon him.