Plate with a scene of serving a court lady wine

The artistic style of Kangxi ware was still retained in the eighteenth-century export ware, but was embellished with elaborate ornaments for borders. The main motif on the interior of this piece is the conventional lady picture—the central court lady receives wine from a male servant with a wine ewer; behind her is a female servant holding a fan-shaped banner. Eight-lobed panels on a gold ground depict landscapes in black and pink tones around the main picture. The other eight small panels on the rim alternate with a red toned landscape and a classical dragonet design in blue. The refinement of painting seen in the ornamentation here is exceptional for a piece intended for export.