³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

This saucer was collected by Mr Andrew Franklin, a career diplomat, whose time in China and Taiwan bred a life-long fascination for Chinese art and design. He was intrigued by ideas of cultural interchange, and his collection, acquired by the museum in 2006, is full of objects which reflect the currents of international influence. This saucer was made in China around 1740, probably for the Dutch market.

The saucer (and its associated cup) is painted in coloured enamels with a representation of the Crucifixion, showing Christ on the cross flanked by the Virgin Mary and St John. It seems surprising to find European Christian imagery on Chinese porcelain, painted by Chinese artists; but by the early 1740s, Chinese ceramic decorators were accomplished at producing a huge range of European motifs, from heraldry to classical mythology, to satisfy the western appetite for imported porcelain.