plate with foreign figures , unknown maker from Japan

Featured in the central roundel of this plate, three performers are staged in a manner similar to European portraiture with a large curtain draped across one side, opening to an exterior view. A scene with two figures dressed in European men’s fashion and seated at a Western-style table repeats across three sections interspersed by ornate decorative panels. This blending of European and Japanese aesthetics illustrates the transcultural transactions of porcelain, a highly valued commodity for overseas trade.