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Chinese Export Blue and White Porcelain Plate

Blue and white Chinese export porcelain plate with river landscape and unglazed base - view 1
1/3

Estimated value

$40 - $90

Rarity

Average(4/10)

Era

Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period (circa 1760-1790)

Origin

🇨🇳 China

Authenticity

Very High(90%)
5

KILN TO COLLECTION: CHINESE EXPORT BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN PLATE

An underglaze blue and white Chinese export porcelain plate from the Qianlong period. The central register features a classically composed river landscape, meticulously hand-painted with varying washes of cobalt blue to depict pagodas, a sampan navigating the water, rocky outcrops, and traditional pine or willow trees. Framing the central scene is a complex border consisting of a trellis diaper pattern interrupted by distinctly shaped reserves containing scrolling floral motifs. The reverse exhibits three sparsely drafted floral or abstract 'jewel' motifs near the rim. The base is unmarked, exposing a slightly recessed inner surface and an unglazed foot rim that reveals a refined, yet slightly granular, buff-white porcelain paste characteristic of Jingdezhen export wares.

CLAY ACROSS CULTURES

Where This Object Echoes

British/EuropeanLate 18th to 19th Century

Transfer-printed pearlware and the subsequent dominance of the 'Willow Pattern' directly imitating this aesthetic

Ritual & Ceremonial Use

  • •Formal dining and grand interior display in 18th-century Western aristocratic and merchant-class households

Meaning Through Time

18th Century

An exotic, high-status luxury import demonstrating global connections

20th Century onward

A traditional interior decor staple and an accessible entry-point into antique porcelain collecting

FROM KILN TO COLLECTOR

Produced in the vast kiln complexes of Jingdezhen during the height of the Qing Dynasty's global trade dominance, wares of this type were transported via the river networks to Canton (Guangzhou). From there, they were loaded onto the ships of various European East India Companies. This specific ...
Produced in the vast kiln complexes of Jingdezhen during the height of the Qing Dynasty's global trade dominance, wares of this type were transported via the river networks to Canton (Guangzhou). From there, they were loaded onto the ships of various European East India Companies. This specific decorative vocabulary—river vignettes framed by intricate diaper borders—became the foundational inspiration for European ceramics, most notably the British 'Willow Pattern', which sought to domesticate this exotic aesthetic for a mass Western market.

KILN-SIDE SECRETS

1

Millions of these plates were packed into the lowest holds of European merchant ships to serve as heavy, water-resistant ballast beneath more valuable, moisture-sensitive cargoes of tea and silk.

2

The varying shades of blue are achieved using a single pigment—cobalt oxide—applied in different densities and water washes before the transparent glaze was added and fired.

HOW SCARCE IS IT?

Average55-70%
CommonLegendary

Typical antique shop fare. Requires some searching but regularly available. This is where most genuine antiques fall.

Typical Characteristics

  • Standard antique shop items
  • Regularly available
  • Moderate collector interest

Confidence Factors

  • The paste composition and foot rim contour perfectly match established 18th-century Jingdezhen export profiles.
  • Glaze contraction (fritting) at the rim is a natural aging and firing characteristic difficult and uneconomical to forge on mid-tier wares.
  • The fluidity and specific stylization of the brushwork are textbook for Qianlong-era export painter workshops.
How does authenticity detection work?

CERAMICIST'S ASSESSMENT

Asian Art Specialist

East Asian Art Expert

The piece exhibits classic, textbook characteristics of 18th-century Chinese export porcelain across all metrics: shape, decorative motif, cobalt hue, and unglazed foot rim traits, leaving little room for misattribution.

KEY EVIDENCE

  • 1Presence of 'trellis diaper' borders characteristic of late 18th-century export styles.
  • 2Unglazed, slightly recessed foot rim exhibiting standard paste oxidization and kiln grit.
  • 3Pale greyish-blue cobalt hue typical of mid-to-late Qianlong period output.
  • 4Spontaneously drafted 'jewel' motifs on the reverse rim.

WHAT WOULD IMPROVE CERTAINTY

  • →Examine the rim chip under magnification to ensure no hairline cracks radiate inward from the impact point.
  • →Run a blacklight (UV) over the rim to check for any older, camouflaged restorations.

CONDITION & GRADE

Condition

Presenting in good overall antique condition, aligning broadly with expected wear. However, a distinct crescent-shaped rim chip/frit is visible on the obverse face near the 3 o'clock position. The unglazed foot rim shows typical kiln grit adhesion and natural darkening from centuries of shelf wear.

Surface

The surface features a glossy, transparent clear glaze with the faint bluish-green tint typical of 18th-century Chinese production. Upon close inspection, the glaze exhibits characteristic period firing anomalies, including minor pinholing, 'moth-eaten' fritting along the edges where the glaze contracted, and minute iron spots blooming from the paste.

Weight & feel

Substantial and dense. Export porcelain was potted significantly thicker than domestic Chinese wares specifically to survive transcontinental sea voyages.

CERAMICS MARKET VALUE

$40 - $90

Updated: Apr 2, 2026

Who buys this

Traditional interior designers, collectors of East India Company trade history, and entry-level antique porcelain enthusiasts.

What increases value

  • •Crispness and density of the blue cobalt application
  • •Complexity of the border pattern
  • •Inclusion of human or animal figures in the landscape

What lowers value

  • •The distinct rim chip at 3 o'clock significantly limits investment value
  • •Hairline cracks that ring 'dull' when tapped
  • •An abundance of similar examples on the secondary market

What makes top-tier examples

  • •Perfect condition with no rim fritting
  • •Unusual or highly detailed specific landscapes rather than generic pavilions
  • •Associated provenance to a specific historical cargo or shipwreck

Grade & condition

Chips, hairline cracks, professional restorations, and the vibrancy of the glaze/cobalt.

Rarity & demand

AverageModerate demandModerate liquidity
Browse similar ceramics objects

For informational purposes only, not a formal appraisal.

CONTEXT ANALYSIS

How your provided context compares with Curiosa.com scanner findings.

What Aligned

  • The visual evidence strongly confirms the user's belief that the piece is an original, authentic antique.
  • The general surface rubbing and glaze abrasions align with the user's assessment of 'minor wear'.

What Conflicted

  • While the user categorized the condition broadly as having 'minor wear', the distinct rim chip at 3 o'clock is a structural flaw that specialists explicitly distinguish from standard surface wear.

FROM THE CABINET OF

BR

bruinsma
The Connoisseur•55 items

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