27/08/2026
Richly painted in a vibrant polychrome palette, this large chinoiserie dish demonstrates the Delft potters’ imaginative interpretation of East Asian imagery. Created around 1740, the composition brings together figures, architecture, birds, flowering plants, and dramatic rockwork within an elaborate garden landscape.
At the center, two figures bearing vessels stand within a pavilion, while a “Long Eliza” figure holding a rabbit appears beside a garden fence. Birds animate the surrounding landscape: one perches high in a pine tree, while another appears to observe a small insect in flight. A richly decorated green-ground border of flowers and foliage frames the scene and enhances the dish’s striking visual character.
Large dishes such as this were often intended as decorative objects, displayed on étagères, in glass-fronted cabinets, or on walls. Carefully preserved across generations, they offer a fascinating glimpse into the enduring European fascination with Chinese motifs and the distinctive ways in which Delft painters reinterpreted them.
🔹Delve into details
Polychrome Chinoiserie Large Dish
Delft, circa 1740
Diameter: 34.4 cm (13 9/16 in.)
Object number: D8252