Day 218 - Floral porcelain plate
The small L-shaped space between galleries 509 and 510 feels less than satisfying to me, in large part because it's so dark that I have to use the flashlight on my cell phone and crouch down to read a couple of captions, which are placed at about the level of my knees. Much of the display seeks to give the viewer a sense of the appearance of a late 17th century bedroom in a home grand enough to warrant a king's overnight stay. It features an enormous bed with a high canopy from which draperies cascade down, two elaborately carved armchairs with the original velvet upholstery that has somehow survived for more than three centuries, and a display of large Japanese porcelains that were probably brought to Europe by Dutch traders. There's also a finely marquetried cabinet and a large mirror with an ornate gilded frame. The caption says that mirrors were customarily hung between two windows to bring light into spaces that I imagine might otherwise have been rather dim. The designers of this space at the museum might have taken a hint! It's interesting that during this period, the British aesthetic was largely guided by Dutch and French artists, including many Huguenots fleeing persecution in France.
I don't much like most of what I see, but one exception is a porcelain plate with a gilded floral design, perhaps 15 inches in diameter, one of a pair. The plate was made in China around 1735-40 specifically for the European market; its back bears the coat of arms of a Scottish family that presumably commissioned the plates. The lush flowers spill over the plate's concave bottom to decorate its rim; I think I recognize anemones (or are they tulips?) and peonies, among other species. In any case, the plate is showy but also delicate, quite a lovely piece.
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