Description
Dia.: 21,5 cm
Ref.:
- Groninger Museum, The Netherlands, object no. 1945.0153 for an identical example. (link)
- Another example is in The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, object no. AK-RBK-17521-D. (link)
Literature:
- D. Howard and J. Ayers, China for the West, London 1978, Vol. I, pp. 234-235, for a discussion on these type of plates. The pattern and inscription satirize the financial speculation disaster in 1720 which started in England with the South Sea Company, and spread to France and Holland. The economic bubble is described and illustrated in the contemporary source 'Het groote tafereel der dwaasheid, vertoonende de opkomst, voortgang en ondergang der actie, bubbel en windnegotie, in Vrankryk, Engeland en de Nederlanden, gepleegt in den jaar MDCCXX' (The great scene of madness, ....) of 1720.
Lot 305
A rare Chinese doucai 'Commedia dell’arte' 'South Sea Bubble' plate, Kangxi, ca. 1720
Hammer price incl. commission
€ 4.160
This lot was sold on 17 June 2026 and is no longer available
