Armorial Chinese Porcelain tea bowl and saucer for the Portuguese Market
Measurements (rounded): bowl 2 inches (5 cm) x 3.5 inches (9 cm), saucer 5.5 inches(14 cm) x 1.5 inches (4 cm)
Monogram: JA
Condition: Intact
Chinese porcelain was collected enthusiastically during the eighteenth century.
Its popularity had a profound influence on the production of decorative objects in Britain and the rest of Europe. Chinese porcelain was first exported to Europe in quantity by Portuguese traders in the sixteenth century.
During the eighteenth century the British trade in Chinese porcelain was controlled by the English East India Company. It was transported on cargo ships alongside other luxury goods including tea, furniture and silk.
The Company’s employees were allowed to trade privately. They often commissioned pieces decorated with European subjects or services painted with coats of arms.
Source: National Museum Wales
https://museum.wales/cardiff/art/applied/chinese-porcelain/
