Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 12

Yongzheng Chinese Export Porcelain Plate with Arms of Elwick of Middlesex

$6,800
£5,199.18
€5,951.34
CA$9,588.82
A$10,438.51
CHF 5,572.33
MX$126,016.72
NOK 70,065.18
SEK 65,120.97
DKK 44,447.86

About the Item

Mercantile Masterpiece: The Elwick Armorial Plate (c. 1730) This rare and historically significant Chinese Export Armorial Porcelain Plate, dating to Circa 1730 during the Yongzheng Period, was commissioned for John Elwick of Middlesex, a powerful Director of the English East India Company. This is a canonical example of bespoke armorial porcelain, celebrated for its complex and early decorative scheme: Central Design: The plate features the finely painted Arms of Elwick of Middlesex. The shield is set dramatically against a serene en grisaille (monochrome, "China-Ink" style) riverscape background. Crest: The family crest (an armored arm) is prominently displayed in a reserved panel at the top of the rim. Borders: The plate's sophisticated decoration includes an ornate gilt and iron−red cell diaper border on the cavetto, which is echoed on the rim's ground. The rim also features four reserved gilt oval riverscape panels that visually integrate the border with the central scene. Dimensions: 9 inches diameter×1 1/2 inches high (22.86 cm diameter). Historical Context: Innovation and Imperial Power The Elwick Commission and Elite Status John Elwick's commission of this service was a direct act of personal and professional branding. As a wealthy merchant and a Director of the English East India Company (EIC), he stood at the pinnacle of global trade. Commissioning an elaborate, custom porcelain service from the EIC's source in China was a conspicuous display of his wealth and, more importantly, his direct control over the very global commercial networks that brought such valuable goods to Europe. The plate is a tangible link to 18th-century mercantile elite status. An Early Technical Triumph: En Grisaille This service is historically noted as the earliest datable example of porcelain decorated en grisaille (a monochrome technique using black pigment to mimic ink wash). The success of this plate, circa 1730, is a significant technical achievement for the Jingdezhen potters. Reports from Jesuit missionaries noted that mastering the black pigment, which often dissipated in the kiln's heat, was challenging. This plate, therefore, serves as a physical document of the Chinese potters' successful mastery of a difficult and nascent decorative technique that would later become a hallmark of fine export ware. Scholarly Significance The plate's importance is confirmed by its extensive documentation in scholarly works. Pieces from the same John Elwick service are housed in prestigious collections, including a larger dish in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This established provenance and scholarly record place the plate among the most significant examples of Yongzheng armorial porcelain. References Howard, David S. (Chinese Armorial Porcelain) Fuchs (Illustrated a virtually identical dish, noting its early en grisaille importance). Le Corbeiller, Claire. (Illustrated a deep dish from the service in the Metropolitan Museum of Art). (NY10252-icur)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)Diameter: 9 in (22.86 cm)
  • Style:
    Chinese Export (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
    1720-1729
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1730
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Downingtown, PA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: NY10252-crkr1stDibs: LU861034875882

More From This Seller

View All
The Gresley-Bowyer Commission: Armorial Porcelain with a Chinese View
Located in Downingtown, PA
The Gresley-Bowyer Commission: Armorial Porcelain with a Chinese View: Yongzheng Armorial Plate (1735) This superb Chinese Export Armorial Porcelain Plate...
Category

Antique 1730s Chinese Export Dinner Plates

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Export Armorial Porcelain Dish, Arms of Pole, circa 1745
Located in Downingtown, PA
Chinese Export armorial porcelain dish, Arms of Pole, circa 1745 The Chinese export armorial porcelain dish is painted with pane...
Category

Antique Mid-18th Century Chinese Chinese Export Platters and Serveware

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Export Porcelain Pair of Armorial Plates, Arms of Van Gellicum, Kangxi
Located in Downingtown, PA
Chinese export porcelain early armorial plates, Arms of Van Gellicum, Dutch Market, Kangxi period, 1710-1730. The Imari armorial plates were made for the Dutch family...
Category

Antique Early 18th Century Chinese Chinese Export Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Porcelain Famille Verte Large "Flower Basket" Dish, Kangxi Period
Located in Downingtown, PA
Vibrant Prosperity: A Famille Verte 'Flower Basket' Dish from the Kangxi Golden Age This magnificent Chinese Export porcelain dish, dating to the height of the Kangxi Period (c. 1700-1710), is a resplendent example of the famed famille verte (green family) palette. This enameling technique, characterized by its brilliant, translucent greens, yellows, and blues, reached its zenith under the patronage of the Kangxi Emperor, ushering in a golden age of ceramic production at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen (Guest and Gray). Auspicious Symbolism and Design Mastery The dish is a feast of intricate design and rich symbolism, centered on an openwork beribboned basket of peony and lotus flowers. The flower basket motif is highly auspicious in Chinese art, being one of the attributes of the Daoist Immortal Lan Caihe, and symbolizes longevity and good fortune (Sotheby's, Lot 657, 2015). This meaning is powerfully reinforced by the inclusion of a central shou character (寿) in the basket, the Chinese ideograph for Longevity, a core wish in Chinese culture for a long, healthy, and prosperous life (Metropolitan Museum of Art). The presence of the shou character, often incorporated into designs for Imperial birthday celebrations during this era, underscores the dish's grand and celebratory intent. The radial design radiates outward with petal-shaped reserves in the cavetto, each containing detailed flowering plants issuing from rockwork, all set against a signature pale-green stippled ground (Dizi). The border completes the composition with an ornate pattern of green trellis-work punctuated by iron-red flower heads, alternating with oval panels containing various Precious Objects (Ba Gu), further emphasizing wealth and good fortune. This large dish, at over 14 inches in diameter, was one of the exquisite items commissioned for the European export market, particularly by the Dutch East India Company (VOC), where its vibrant colors and complex iconography were highly prized by wealthy clientele (Guest and Gray). The reverse, painted in underglaze blue with delicate floral sprays, maintains a link to the more traditional Chinese aesthetic. This piece is a tangible embodiment of the technical sophistication and artistic brilliance that made Kangxi famille verte porcelain...
Category

Antique Early 1700s Chinese Chinese Export Platters and Serveware

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Rose Porcelain Mandarin Saucer Dish, Early 19th Centuy
Located in Downingtown, PA
The sauce dish finely painted with Mandarin figures in the central well and flowers and butterflies on the border.  
Category

Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Export Porcelain Famille Rose Dish and Two Plates
Located in Downingtown, PA
Floral Symmetry: Chinese Export Famille Rose Dinnerware: A Trio of Treasures: Porcelain from the Qianlong Period, Circa 1740 This striking trio of Chinese Export porcelain pieces—a ...
Category

Antique Mid-18th Century Chinese Chinese Export Platters and Serveware

Materials

Porcelain

You May Also Like

Large 18th Century Chinese Export Armorial Charger
Located in Dallas, TX
An impressive 18th century Chinese export armorial charger. Crest in center of plate with floral sprays around the border. Decorative bands around of plate and the rim. White backgro...
Category

Antique Mid-18th Century Chinese Chinese Export Dinner Plates

Materials

Porcelain

An extremely rare Chinese export famille rose armorial porcelain charger
Located in Amsterdam, NL
An extremely rare and large Chinese export famille rose armorial porcelain charger with the Amsterdam coat-of-arms Qianlong period, circa 1720-1...
Category

Antique Early 18th Century Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics

Materials

Enamel

17th Century Chinese Kangxi Porcelain Plate
Located in Kent, Dover
A large XVII Century Kangxi Chinese porcelain plate, hand painted with gold leaf highlights. In good condition, just nibbling to the edges.
Category

Antique 1690s Chinese Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

18th Century Style Chinese Export Armorial Chop Plate
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
An 18th century style Chinese Export Armorial Chop Plate. With multiple hairlines. Dramatic design. Possibly Samson. Early 20th century. 13"dia., 1 1/4"h.
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Platters and Serveware

Materials

Ceramic

44CM 18C Kangxi/Yongzheng Chinese Porcelain Plate Armorial Imari UTRECHT
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Sharing with you this large and highly unusual chinese porcelain charger. This interesting antique dish is decorated in underglaze blue and overglaze enamels including red, green, pi...
Category

Antique 18th Century Chinese Qing Decorative Bowls

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Export Famille Rose Porcelain Plate, Qianlong Reign Mark (1735–1796)
Located in Clearwater, FL
A fine Chinese Export Famille Rose porcelain plate marked “Made in the Qianlong Reign,” dating to the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735–1796), Qing Dynasty. The plate is richly ha...
Category

Antique 1750s Chinese Ceramics

Materials

Porcelain, Paint