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Curatorial RemarksNote
The significance of this scene is not known. Groups like this one were formerly said to portray Diederik Duivven, a governor of the Dutch East India Company from 1729 to 1731, known among the Chinese a Governor Duf or Durf. The presence of three similar examples in the inventory of Augustus the Strong's collection taken in 1721 disproves the theory, however.
These blanc de chine scenes were highly conventionalized; the men are always on the left and teamed with a dog, the women are on the right, with a monkey. According to contemporary Chinese convention, the smaller figures are not children, but servants.
The kilns of Te-hua were famed for their production of blanc de chine, and especially fine, translucent porcelain with a rich, thick, translucent glaze varying in color from snow white to ivory. Figurines were produced in blanc de chine, often depicting Buddhist deities or Taoist genii. Some groups contained as many as eight figures, crowded together like the European figures in later groups.Note Type
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