Guangxu period (1875-1908), circa 1898
The shallow plate with a curved rim is painted in the centre in bright colours with a large raised medallion enclosing Portuguese ships on a blue sea, heading towards the East which is symbolized by the rising sun. The scene is encircled by a red belt fastened with a gold buckle and inscribed QUARTO CENTENARIO DO DESCOBRIMENTO DA INDIA (Four Hundredt Anniversary of the Discovery of India) beneath the royal arms of Portugal.
The central design is surrounded by two coins, one with Tongzhi mark, the other with Mongolian characters alternating with symbols including ribboned books and lutes, double gourds, birds and scattered flowers, The rim is painted with shaped panels enclosing birds on flowering branches alternating with flowerpots and scholar's utensils reserved on various borders.
Diameter 24.5 cm
This plate belongs to a service made for the 400th anniversary of the discovery of India by Vasco da Gama in May 1498.
Several dishes are known, all with various decorative borders encircling the centre.
One is in the RA Collection illustrated in Maria Antonia Pinto de Matos, The RA Collection of Chinese Ceramics, A Collector's Vision, ed. Vinhais, L. and Welsh, J. London 2011, Pl 486
See also N. De Castro, Chinese Porcelain and the Hetaldry of the Empire, p. 253
PF 21 清光緒 彩繪葡萄牙皇家紋章盤
時代：清光緒(1875-1908)，約1898年。
特徵：淺盤中央以明亮色調彩繪一個巨大的、帶葡萄牙皇家徽章的紅底金扣紋章，上書「發現印度四百週年」。顯示此盤為紀念葡萄牙航海探險家達伽馬(Vasco da Gama)於1498年發現印度而作。紋章包圍著藍色大海上、向著日出東方駛去的葡萄牙船隻。盤內描繪一枚同治款與一枚蒙古文錢幣，以及飛鳥、葫蘆、花瓶、琵琶與文人器具等豐富裝飾。
尺寸：直徑24.5公分。
