Tobacco Leaf Decorative Plate

DESCRIPTION

The design on our decorative plate is based on an original Chinese beaker-shaped porcelain vase decorated in enamel colors with a bold tobacco leaf design. Prized for its whiteness, thinness of body, and translucency, Chinese porcelain was produced for export to the West as early as the sixteenth century. A large variety of the table services and objects for home decor were embellished with motifs of exotic Asian flora and fauna.

Stamped tin, with silk-screened decals. 10 1/4'' diam.

ART HISTORY

The “tobacco leaf” pattern became especially popular in the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century. The design itself probably does not depict tobacco leaves, but rather multicolored tropical foliage with hibiscus and passion flowers. By whatever name, the design is one of the most exotic and colorful in the repertoire of Chinese export art of that period.