Chinese export porcelain "The Judgement of Paris'" c. 1745-50

Decorated in various overglaze enamels with "The Judgement of Paris'"; the well-known Greek story from Homer, in which the young son of the King of Troy had to make a choice between the Goddesses Hera, Athena and Venus and decide which one of them was the most beautiful.

Obviously a not too clever lad, he did declare one of them the most beautiful - Venus - which of course promptly started the Trojan war.

According to Homer Eaton Keyes (Gordon 1975) the decoration is based on a print after a painting by Rubens.

Many versions exist, differing in color scheme, border design and the way in which the subject is painted. This plate have a rocaille and shell border, typical for the mid 18th century.

Age: Qing Dynasty, Qianlong (1736-95) period, c. 1745-50.

Size Diameter of dish: 9" / 23 cm