Soup plate

Dateca. 1733

MediumPorcelain, hard-paste

DimensionsOverall: 9in. (22.9cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, Wesley and Elise H. Wright in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clay Hofheimer II and in honor of John C. Austin

Object number2012-60

DescriptionChinese export porcelain soup plate from the Lee of Coton armorial service. The rim is decorated en grisaille with scenes of London and Canton. The view of London includes the River Thames, London Bridge, the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, and spires of the city's many churches. This image was likely based on a print. The image of Canton depicts the city walls, a gate, and one of the folly forts in the Pearl River. In the center of plate are the arms of the Lees of Coton, a family from Shropshire, England.
Label TextThe journey encapsulated in porcelain exported from China to the West is implicit in most pieces, but the story of this long journey is explicitly depicted on the rim of this soup plate, part of the Lee of Coton service. Made around 1733 for Eldred Lancelot Lee, this service is decorated with scenes of London and Canton. These cities represent the beginning and end of a very long voyage from Europe to China and back again. The panoramic view of London including London Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral was likely taken from a print and the scenes of Canton depict one of the folly forts in the Pearl River. These images are the earliest known depictions of the Canton on porcelain, a subject that was to appear numerous times on later eighteenth-century wares.
ProvenanceFormerly in the collection of Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia.