This Chinese export porcelain saucer dish, dating to the mid-18th century, is decorated in grisaille and gilt with a design known as “Amorous Trophies.”
The scene, adapted from European prints, depicts a playful arrangement of love-related emblems—such as quivers of arrows, doves, garlands, and flaming torches. These symbols of romance and desire would have been instantly recognizable to European buyers, who prized such decoration for its witty and fashionable reference to classical allegory.
Executed in grisaille enamels (black and gray tones mimicking engraving) with gilt highlights, the design reflects the export market’s fascination with neoclassical themes. Saucer dishes of this type would have accompanied teacups in tea or chocolate services, their refined monochrome palette standing out against the more colorful famille rose wares of the period.
Subtle yet elegant, this saucer dish represents the fusion of Chinese porcelain craftsmanship with European taste for myth, allegory, and fashionable decoration. It survives as a rare and charming example of the highly specialized designs produced in Canton for the Western market.
