Unusual Large Chinese Export 'Famille-Rose' Serving Dish and Cover, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period, Circa 1770 | 清乾隆 約1770年 粉彩錦鷄花卉紋大蓋盌

Whilst the shape of the present example is most likely European-inspired, its exact use and origin remain undetermined. Only one other pair of comparable examples, with lobed rims and of slightly smaller size, appear to be known. The pair is currently in the RA Collection and is illustrated in Maria Antónia Pinto de Matos, The RA Collection of Chinese Ceramics: A Collector's Vision, Vol. II, London, 2011, cat. no. 212. The author suggests that dishes of this form might have been used to preserve butter or cheese, and bear some resemblance to 18th century faience cheese dishes, or that they were possibly used to hold a rich sauce or other mixture with solid ingredients.