Figural pair

Traces of cold painted enamels (applied after the pottery had been both glazed and fired) on these figures reveal how red and black were used to embellish the lips, robes, hair and shoes. This was probably the work of a European enameller attempting to mimic the vivid colours of Chinese enamelled porcelains, which were increasingly popular in Europe in the eighteenth century. Figures such as this constituted an important part of the output at the Dehua kilns, and many made for export were based on scenes inspired by popular Dutch genre paintings.