Fishermen Plate (c. 1730): Art, History and Details

Fishermen Plate (c. 1730) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This plate shows four fishermen holding nets and creels, or fishing baskets. The plate was made during the Yongzheng reign, known for its fine porcelain decoration. Similar scenes of fishermen on Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasty paintings and prints, such as Happy Fisherfolk CMA 2025.91.b, illustrate the popularity of the theme and its adoption by potters.

Object facts

• Title: Fishermen Plate
• Date: c. 1730
• Culture: China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Yongzheng reign (1723–35)
• Type: Ceramic
• Technique: porcelain with famille rose enamel overglaze decoration
• Dimensions: Diameter: 3.6 x 21 cm (1 7/16 x 8 1/4 in.)
• Collection: China - Qing Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 2021.146

A detail from the museum

The labels on the plate’s base testify the plate was in the former Garland and the Morgan collections.

Collection credit

Dudley P. Allen Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Christie, Manson & Woods. Fine Chinese Export Porcelain and Works of Art. London: Christie, Manson & Woods, 1990.
• Christie, Manson & Woods. The Dr Anton C.R. Dreesmann Collection, European Furniture and Chinese Export Porcelain: Including Clocks, Antiquities and Works of Art. London: Christie’s, 2002.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.