A Chinese porcelain Dutch-decorated teabowl 1st half 18th century

A Chinese porcelain Dutch-decorated teabowl 1st half 18th century, originally left in the white, enamelled in Holland with a gory scene of Christ crucified, John and Mary standing either side of the cross, the reverse with a vignette of symbols of the Passion, including a ladder, scourge, spear and crown of thorns, the interior with further symbols of the torture of Christ within a gilt spearhead border, 7.2cm dia.

Provenance: the Helen Espir Collection, no. 899. Purchased from David Hyatt-King, December 2005.

Cf. Helen Espir, European Decoration on Oriental Porcelain, p.194, pl.50, also Princesshof Museum, No. NO6373 for a Weesp porcelain tea canister with the same decoration. Similar scenes are also known on Delft. See also Jorge Welsh, Christian Images in Chinese Porcelain, pp.68-73 for the same decoration on other pieces of Chinese porcelain.