Large Plate or Charger, 1680–1700
London, England
Tin-glazed earthenware
Lent by a private collection

Imported seventeenth-century Chinese porcelain often pictured wise men traveling through the landscape or contemplating the natural beauty of large craggy "scholar’s rocks." These images inspired a number of English writers who wrote about nature and natural history. The English potter who decorated the large plate seen here did not replicate the asymmetry of the eastern porcelains but rather placed the figures evenly over its surface, one in the center of the plate and the others at the four compass points. Even his "scholars’ rock" is symmetrical. This mix of Chinese motifs and English composition suggests the increasing popularity of Sir William Temple’s fascination with Chinese gardens and natural philosophy.