The demand in Europe for polychrome wares from China and Japan was sometimes greater than the supplies sent over and this was remedied on occasion by a second firing on arrival or later to add the colouration desired. The additional enamel decoration would fire at a much lower temperature than the original blue and white so the process was quite safe. The main exponents of the technique were based in Holland and England, often operating as quite small concerns, and there is considerable variation in the quality and style of the decoration they applied. At its best, as here, it can have a naif charm of its own. From the middle of the nineteenth century in England such pieces began to be referred to as ‘clobbered’, a word derived from ‘clobber’ which originally referred to shoe and then clothing repair work. The form and foot rim of this plate allows a secure dating to the late Qianlong period (1736-1795) and the decoration was probably applied in Holland not so long after. By 1900 its use to describe these hybrid porcelains was common and has remained so ever since. The wares are not ones for purists but for those who enjoy a bit of whimsy in a decorative style which is certainly the case here!

To be sold with the display stand shown (modern)