Table centerpiece; Canton, c. 1880

Centerpiece; Canton, c. 1880s
Enameled copper; gilded bronze; silvered bronze.
Measurements: 18 x 46'5 cm.

Enameled copper dish, executed in the Canton workshops circa 1880. The piece displays on a deep cobalt blue background a composition of lobed contour cartouches, filled with scenes of Chinese aristocratic life: figures elegantly dressed in silk robes of pink, jade green and ocher tones are distributed in pavilions and gardens, flanked by lush vegetation. The outer border exhibits a border of phytomorphic and geometric motifs enhanced with gilding.

The piece was later enriched, possibly in France, with a splendid gilded bronze and silvered bronze mount. Four naturalistic male figures act as caryatids, flanking the plate at four points. The figures rest on a perimeter band also of bronze ornamented with openwork geometric motifs of oriental flavor.

This piece is a good example of the intense trade between China and Europe that developed through the port of Guangzhou, the main emporium of Chinese foreign trade and practically the only official point of contact with the West. From its wharves, huge shipments of silk, tea, spices and, especially, porcelain and enameled objects departed to satisfy the European taste for all things Oriental.

Cantonese artisans, fully aware of the aesthetic preferences of their Western clients, developed their own decorative language - rich, colorful and narrative - that differed significantly from the production destined for the Chinese domestic market. The court scenes, the intense monochrome backgrounds and the generous use of gilding responded to specific commissions from European commercial houses, which often dictated the models to be reproduced. Once they arrived in Europe, the most sumptuous objects were mounted by goldsmiths and bronze casters, particularly in Paris, where the art of mounting foreign art pieces reached its peak of refinement during the 18th century and continued with great vitality throughout the 19th century.