Group 1750 - 1760

This porcelain group of figures was made by the Derby Porcelain Manufactory in England sometime in the late 18th century. At this time, there was a fashion for what Europeans referred to as chinoiserie - that is, imitations of Chinese styles and designs, based on a somewhat fanciful notion of what Chinese culture was like. Here, a bearded figure in a long coat and striped trousers stands next to a crouched figure holding what looks like a sack. The artist is clearly not trying to represent the figures realistically. Rather, the artwork creates meaning by referring to a generalized idea of Chinese culture that was popular with the European elites who bought porcelain. Studying the history of taste can tell us a lot about how cultures encounter one another through trade and collecting. We can better understand this process by consulting historical sources, such as trade records and museum collections. The meaning of art is always dependent on its historical context.