Pair of Chinese 'Double-Peacock' Plates, Qianlong (1736-95)

Ref: U620

Archive item - not for sale

Pair of Chinese 'double-peacock' plates, Qianlong (1736-95), decorated in the centres with a peacock and peahen perched upon rockwork in a garden with flowering peony, within a spear-head border to the cavettos, the wide rims with four floral garlands and a narrow band with four scrolling cartouches against an iron-red lattice ground.

Dimensions:

Diameter: 22.8cm. (8 15/16in.)

Condition:

One plate with two frits and one shallow chip to rim.

Notes:

King Joao VI of Portugal is known to have owned a service in this pattern. When Napoleon invaded Portugal in 1807, King Joao (who was Prince Regent at this time) fled to Brazil, taking his six services of Chinese porcelain with him, including one of this same design. The pattern is known as 'Serviço dos Pavões' in Brazil, and there are several examples in the collections of Brazilian museums today.