Two Chinese porcelain Dutch-decorated bowls the larger 1st half 18th century

Two Chinese porcelain Dutch-decorated bowls the larger 1st half 18th century, the larger originally decorated in underglaze blue with a figure on a bridge, the interior with a hatched border, over-decorated with a figure tending to deer before a European village, and two figures conversing beside a recumbent cow, the interior with a landscape scene, the original decoration highlighted and extended in coloured enamels, the smaller late 18th century bowl originally with small polychrome flower sprays, later-enamelled with a milkmaid and cow within bold floral sprays, the interior with a cow beneath a tree, in a palette similar to that seen on Dutch-decorated English creamware, 19cm dia. max. (2)

Provenance: the Helen Espir Collection, nos. 796 and 866.

Illustrated: Helen Espir, European Decoration on Oriental Porcelain, p.199, pl.56.

Cf. Hervouet, 16.134 for the interior scene of the larger bowl, also 16.24 for a similar scene of a peasant couple without the cow.

Although the original decoration suggests that the smaller bowl was originally intended for the European market, the sparser style favoured in the Orient has clearly not met with approval. The somewhat crude style of painting on this bowl suggests a late date of decoration, probably c.1770.