1985.R.862, Charger, porcelain, Jingdezhen, China, c. 1720-1725 copy

This large charger is from a series of decorative plates featuring the names and coats of arms of various cities, provinces, and countries. The twenty-three currently known are Amsterdam, Antwerp, Artois, Brabant, England, Flanders, France, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Hainaut, Holland, Limburg, Louvain, Luxembourg, Mechlin, Namur, Overijssel, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Vlaardingen, Zeeland, and Zutphen. It has been convincingly suggested that such pieces were first ordered by the Dutch after the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713, and were perhaps made to commemorate the Triple Alliance that linked France, England, and the Netherlands in 1717.

The Reves example is dateable to the 1720s because it displays an early use of of rose-colored enamel called famille rose, introduced on Chinese porcelain at this time, in the figures, robes, feathers of the angels' wings, and the blossoms in the outer border reserves. It is one of the earliest pieces to incorporate the pink enamel developed by Andreas Cassius of Leyden in the mid-17th century and imported to China by the Jesuits about 1715.  The fish and crustacea in the inner border relate to those on the Reves Kangxi (K'ang Hsi) famille verte wall fountain (see 1985.R.843.A-C) and derive from the same traditional sources.

The underglaze blue diapered rim and well borders are also noteworthy and are found only on the series of plates in which the coat of arms is surrounded by an architectural framework, as here. The region Namur, commemorated by this example, was part of the Spanish Netherlands during the 16th and much of the 17th centuries. It was fought over by the English under William III and the French under Louis XIV during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Today Namur is one of the provinces of Belgium. 

This large charger is from a series of decorative plates featuring the names and coats of arms of various cities, provinces, and countries. The twenty-three currently known are Amsterdam, Antwerp, Artois, Brabant, England, Flanders, France, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Hainaut, Holland, Limburg, Louvain, Luxembourg, Mechlin, Namur, Overijssel, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Vlaardingen, Zeeland, and Zutphen. It has been convincingly suggested that such pieces were first ordered by the Dutch after the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713, and were perhaps made to commemorate the Triple Alliance that linked France, England, and the Netherlands in 1717.

The Reves example is dateable to the 1720s because it employs touches of rose-colored enamel called famille rose, which was introduced on Chinese porcelain at this time. The underglaze blue diapered rim and well borders are also noteworthy and are found only on the series of plates in which the coat of arms is surrounded by an architectural framework, as here. The region Namur, commemorated by this example, was part of the Spanish Netherlands during the 16th and much of the 17th centuries. Contested for by the French and English in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Namur is now one of the provinces of Belgium.

Dallas Museum of Art, Decorative Arts Highlights from the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art, 1995), 101.

A series of large famille verte and underglaze blue plates and other display pieces were commissioned by the Dutch to be made and decorated at Jingdezhen (Ching-tê Chên) in four different patterns. Each suite contains the names of twenty-two or more provinces, countries, or towns in England, the Netherlands, and France. This plate displays an early use of rose in the figures, robes, feathers of the angels' wings, and the blossoms in the outer border reserves. It is one of the earliest pieces to incorporate the pink enamel developed by Andreas Cassius of Leyden in the mid-17th century and imported to China by the Jesuits about 1715. The fish and crustacea in the inner border relate to those on the Reves Kangxi (K'ang Hsi) famille verte wall fountain and derive from the same traditional sources. This pattern, decorated with an architectural gateway framing the arms, is perhaps the most unusual and attractive of the four. Namur was part of the Spanish Netherlands in the 16th and most of the 17th centuries. It was fought over by the English under William III and the French under Louis XIV during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Today Namur is one of the nine provinces of Belgium. 

Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art, 1985), 192.

Until 1985: Emery Reves (1904-1983) and Wendy Reves (1916-2007) (owned jointly), La Pausa, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France [1]

From 1985: Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection, gift of Wendy Reves (1916-2007) [1]

[1] According to: Olivier Meslay and Martha MacLeod, From Chanel to Reves (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art, 2015), 4-5.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read more about Chinese Export Porcelain

Apply to objects where number equals 1985.R.862