Yongzheng period circa 1730 European or Chinese Market Diameter: 8¼ inches; 21cm A small ruby back eggshell porcelain saucer dish finely painted in famille rose enamels within several elaborate borders including lobed lappets of cell diaper on a blue Y-diaper ground, the reverse with deep ruby enamel. Such items are the jewels of porcelain collecting and are highly prized as cabinet pieces. The Emperor Yongzheng (1722-1736) encouraged the increased sophistication of famille rose decoration and this dish represents the pinnacle of this art: fine and detailed enamelling on egg-shell thin porcelain. The pink enamel that coats the back of this dish was expensive and very difficult to use - it had to be fired at an exact temperature to get the required colour and the mixing of the enamel determined the smoothness of the result. References: Williamson 1970, plate XXXVI, an identical saucer from the W J Holt Collection; an identical saucer from the Samuel Putnam Avery Sr. (1822-1904) Collection, was in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accessioned in 1879, deaccessioned 2016.