Page 264 - The colours of each piece: production and consumption of Chinese enamelled porcelain, c.1728-c.1780
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CHAPTER 7 Porcelain Dealers and their Role in Trade
Figure 7-6 A porcelain shop. Watercolour, 40x60cm, c.1770-1790.
Photo Courtesy Victoria and Albert Museum, E59-1910.
The investigation of contemporary representations of porcelain shops at Canton
sheds light on the porcelain trade. Such a perspective serves to emphasise the diversity
and vitality of porcelain shops engaged in the porcelain trade. With a better
understanding of shops, a better understanding of porcelain dealers’ roles may also be
reached.
7.3. Selling Techniques
The VOC has a long history of sending models and drawings to Canton in order to
ensure that the pieces of imported porcelain meet their requirements, by size, shapes
16
as well as decoration. The notable design was made by Cornelis Pronk. Between
16 Jörg has shown this example extensively in the Dutch China trade, pp.94-112. Unlike the VOC,
the EEIC only started to use models in the late 1770s. See, Letter 17, IOR/G/12/60 ‘Since the
Dispatch of the advices by the Ships for the coast and China, the Court Directors have received
some models, to serve in forming several different sorts of which the investment of China ware is
composed, attended with some instructions for the improvement of that article’.
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