A charmingly naive but well decorated meat plate from the early 1800's.

This item was part of the Howlett collection which was sold off in the early 1990's.

I haven't been able to find out much about the Howlett collection except one reference to it as provenance for a lacquered box of high quality in an Sotheby's sale and this statement from the internet.

"Mrs S Howlett was an expert on Chinese ceramics & had possibly written books about them. This was part of her collection which was sold In an Estate Sale In London in the early 1990s."

Here is a link to the Sotheby's page, at the bottom it refrences the Howlett collection as provenance.

https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2015/chinese-works-of-art-n09317/lot.226.html

There are some interesting peculiarities in the painting of this piece which are uncommon on most of the Canton style plates of this type.

Firstly the bridge is showing the underside of the arches, which most plates do not, so that the bridge is drawn in Western perspective.

Also the border which is solid blue with a criss cross pattern is denser and more detailed that many other such examples.  Other examples show a more open widely spaced criss cross washed over with a dark blue.

There is a person in the temple which doesnt appear on many other examples and the central boat is a Chinese style boat reed boat, where as on many examples the boat has sails and some rigging and is quite different in style.  

Why this particular plate was in the Howlett collection I can only surmise, but I feel this little plate has a naive originality which suggests that it may have been an early prototype to what became an generic pattern.

Makers marks:
None

Width:
25.5 cm

Height:
17.5 cm

Weight:
459 g

Age:
220 years

Condition:
A few small edge chips, and a hairline extending from on corner across the rim, and a small hairline in the glaze on the opposite corner.  Otherwise good condition.

Maker:
19th century Chinese export