Bord, beschilderd met chinoiserie c. 1762s - 1772s

This ceramic plate, decorated with chinoiserie, was crafted by Joseph Hannonge. The eye is immediately drawn to the central figure, a pink-robed man wielding an axe, rendered in vivid colour against the stark white of the plate. The composition is divided into segments by scattered floral motifs. Note how these aren’t merely decorative additions; they function as visual cues, disrupting any singular reading of the central motif. This fragmentation is key. Hannonge isn't presenting a coherent narrative but rather a series of deconstructed images and symbolic gestures. The chinoiserie style here becomes a means of destabilizing conventional representation, playing with the idea of cultural appropriation. The plate isn't simply a functional object; it's a site where Eastern and Western aesthetics collide, raising questions about authenticity, imitation, and the very nature of cultural exchange.