A CHINESE EXPORT 'AMSTERDAM' PLATE circa 1765

painted with three men in two skiffs before the Stadts-Herberg on the Amsterdam waterfront, and with other sailboats docked beyond, the rim with floral sprigs and sprays. Minor chips.

Charles H. Perry, Atlanta, Georgia, April 10, 1986

San Francisco, Fall Antiques Show, 1995

1/4-inch chip beneath the rim at 11 o'clock, a 4mm chip under the rim at 10 o'clock, three 1mm chip and a 2mm chip under the edge at 8 o'clock, occasional tiny chips to rim, minor stacking wear to left side.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The scene on this plate depicts the Stadts-Herberg (or Nieuwe Stadsherberg the New Town Inn) or public house located at the corner of a pier on the River Ij (or Y) in Amsterdam.  The building was constructed in 1662 and demolished in 1872, and Howard 1994, p. 100, suggests that the porcelains could have been commissioned to mark the centenary of this landmark, in which, according to Howard and Ayers, Vol. I, p. 193, "generations of Dutch sailors spent their last hours before embarkation...and the first on their return."

Although no exact print source for this decoration has been discovered, Le Corbeiller 1974, p. 108, no. 45, who illustrates an identical plate, also illustrates an engraving form Beschreibung der Stadt Amsterdam, published in 1664, closely depicting the view on this plate; and Howard 1994, p. 100, no. 93, who illustrates another identical plate, suggests that "perhaps the original [design for] the porcelain was a specially prepared watercolor."

Other identical plates are illustrated by Beurdeley, p. 190, cat. 173; Hervouët and Bruneau, p. 13, no. 1.3; Lunsingh Scheurleer, pl. 243, and also in an article, "De Nieuwe Stadsherberg in het Ij voor Amsterdam op Chinese porselein," Antiek, May 1968, pp. 484-486; and Palmer, p, 95, fig. 59.  The example illustrated by Howard and Ayers, Vol., I, p. 193, no. 190, was in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Rafi Y. Mottahedeh, sold in these rooms on January 30, 1985, lot 113; and another was sold at Christie's in London, on November 15, 2000, lot 295. 

Tea and coffee wares also were made in this pattern, and an ovoid tea canister is illustrated by Litzenburg and Bailey, p. 152, no. 143; and in the Reeves Collection, p. 10, no. 15.  A teabowl and saucer showing a variation of the pattern with two putti in the sky supporting a gilt coronet and monogrammed cartouche is illustrated by Jörg 1989, p. 123, no. 37.