Small rectangular dish, c.1780-1800, with a view of the City of Canton
Small deep dish, 8”, c.1780-1800, decorated with a view of the City of Guangzhou (Canton) from the viewpoint of the Pearl River; the rim with a brocade pattern of stylized flowers and butterflies similar to the ‘Fitzhugh’ style.
The view is well-executed with several landmarks clearly visible, including the Five Storey Pagoda, today the Zhenhai Tower in Yuexiu Park which houses the Guangzhou Museum, which was built in 1380 during the Ming Dynasty and was at the time the symbol of Guangzhou. Also the Flowery Pagoda inside the Baozhuangyan Temple, the Huaisheng (Mohammeden) Mosque, the Guangxiao (Buddhist) Temple of Bright Filial Piety as well as other structures. Containing these buildings are the City Walls which encircle the town, today only still visible at the Zhenhai Tower. In the far distance, some five miles beyond the city walls, are the White Cloud Mountains of Guangdong Province.
Reference : Macguire, Becky; Four Centuries of Blue & White; the Frelinghuysen Collection of Chinese and Japanese Export Porcelain, p.273 for a larger dish of the same form
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