Tracing trade links through ceramics
Exhibit focuses on pieces that traveled from Asia to Europe, mostly along the Maritime Silk Road
Some 300 years ago, ceramic artisans in Jingdezhen, in East China's Jiangxi province, received an order from Europe for a pair of plates as a marriage gift. So, the artisans crafted a round plate and an octagonal one, each fired with the armorial designs of the two families to be joined in matrimony. They also painted traditional Chinese patterns such as butterflies, rabbits and red candles on the plates.
The decorations on the plates were painted in rosy shades such as pink and carmine, known to people as colors of the famille rose (French for the "rose family"). The color combination was introduced to China by European missionaries around 1685.
