A Chinese famille rose bowl decorated with a couple resting after the hunt. Qianlong period.

The bowl decorated in the famille rose palette with a couple resting after the hunt in a landscape.

Related works

A plate with this decoration is illustrated by Hervouët & Bruneau in La porcelaine des Compagnie des Indes à décor occidental, p. 70, no. 3.16

An “en grisaille” plate, with this decoration was recently published by Cohen & Cohen and William Mothley in “Take Two!“, november 2017, no. 62.

Notice

The source for the design has not been identified but seems to be very similar to a painting by Charles-Joseph Natoire (1700-1777) commissioned by Louis XV, King of France for the Château de Fontainebleau.

Hunting in the eighteenth century in France held considerable social and cultural significance. This period, characterized by the values of the Ancien Régime, regarded hunting as a privilege reserved for the nobility. It was often perceived not only as a means of procuring food but also as a leisure activity and a symbol of social status. Forests were meticulously maintained to cater to the needs of the aristocracy, who organized grand hunts therein. Various hunting techniques coexisted, including venery (hunting with hounds), wing shooting, and trapping.

Following the ordinance of 1396, the right to hunt became the exclusive privilege of the nobility. This right was regulated by decrees pertaining to the privileges of the monarchy regarding hunting and the protection of royal hunting grounds against poaching. In the eighteenth century, hunting was also associated with a particular aesthetic sensibility. Artists of the time, such as François Boucher, Jean-Baptiste Oudry, and Charles Natoire, immortalized these activities in their works. The theme of hunting also gained popularity on export porcelain from China for the English market, notably with the production of large punch bowls depicting hunting scenes.