Qianlong Dynasty, East India Company, 18th century.

Qianlong Dynasty, East India Company, 18th century.
Three plates. Glazed porcelain.
In good state of preservation.
Measurements: 23.5 cm (diameter).
This dish presents a completely oriental aesthetic, reinforced by the use of blue and white bichromatic tones, although it has been made for the export market to Europe (Company of the Indies).
The Qianlong emperor, belonging to the Qing dynasty, ruled China between 1736 and 1795, and is remembered today as one of the most cultured emperors and one of the most important in terms of art collecting. His long reign was a particularly interesting time in Chinese history. At the time, the country was the richest and most populous nation in the world. Qianlong was able to preserve and foster his own traditions of Manchu hunter and warrior, and combined them with the adoption of Confucianism's principles of political and cultural leadership, thus achieving an effective and stable government. In fact, it was precisely his ability to adopt Chinese customs, while still honoring his Manchu tradition, that made him one of the most successful emperors of the Qing dynasty. Qianlong studied Chinese painting, and especially enjoyed the art of calligraphy, highly regarded in this culture, conceived in fact as the highest of the arts.