A rare famille-rose on a white ground and underside enamelleddish. The edge slightly raised, the body resting on a short circular foot. In the center, a circular medallion enclosing the arms of bishop Silvio Valenti Gonzaga, framed by two pheasants among the peonies. The cavetto with a large ruyi lappet band with lotus florets and quarterings from the armorial. The present dish appears to have been made as part of a service made for bishop Silvio ValentiGonzaga (1690-1756), who was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1738 by Pope Clement XII. 

The famille-rose enamels (fengcai) appear in China at the end of emperor Kangxi’s reign (1661 – 1722), only on the painted copper productions of the imperial workshops. The European aristocrats were especially fond of famille-rose, and ordered expensive armorial famille-rose sets, carried by East India Companies, all along the 18th century.

Bibliography : 

Chinese painted Enamels. Exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1978. Cat. N°105. (a similar dish)

Chinese Painted Enamels from Private and Museum Collections. Exhibition at the China Institute of America, New-York, 1978. Cat. N°39 (collection J.A. Lloyd Hyde). (a similar dish)