Notes:
Dish of a similar design but very large
A similar plate with a differing border is illustrated in Abraham L. den Blaauwen, 'Meissen Porcelain in the Rijksmuseum', p. 57, pl. 27.
‘Indianisch blumen’ bear no strong resemblance to any known species of flower. The motif was instead developed at Meissen during the period in which Johann Gregorius Höroldt (1696-1775) was a key figure at the manufactory. He was inspired by Japanese ceramic design and Indian textiles, which played an important role in global trade of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Floral designs were a favourite theme of the Mughal emperors who ruled the Indian subcontinent at the time. At first, Mughal court painting depicted floral motifs naturalistically, but under the rule of Shah Jahan (1628-1658), more stylised depictions were favoured and came to dominate Mughal cottons and, consequently, European ceramic design. Designs incorporating merchant trading scenes were also popular at Meissen, and attest to the continued cultural and economic role played by the trade of luxury items, including the Asian porcelain wares which Meissen had initially been set up to imitate.
