A large Chinese porcelain saucer dish late 17th century

A large Chinese porcelain saucer dish late 17th century, originally decorated in the famille verte palette with rocks and flowers, later enamelled in Holland c.1725 with two quail beneath millet sprays, the rim with a formal border of flowerheads and suspended scrolls, blue artemesia leaf mark, 35cm.

Provenance: the Helen Espir Collection, no. 718. Purchased from Geoffrey Waters, May 1999.

The pattern and composition on this dish have closer links to the Japanese Kakiemon, but have been well executed in the Chinese famille verte palette. The way the border truncates at the rockwork confirms that some of the decoration was carried out at an earlier date, despite the otherwise sympathetic additions. A similar dish is in the Duca di Martina Collection in Naples.