Jesuit ware

Jesuit ware, Chinese porcelain decorated with European subject matter and made for export to the West during the Qing dynasty in the reign of Qianlong (1736–96). The sources for the decoration were mainly European engravings brought to China by Jesuit missionaries. The most commonly used illustrations were of Christian subjects such as the Crucifixion, though mythological subjects and, occasionally, Masonic designs were used.

The designs for the ware were painted onto the white ware in black or sometimes in sepia monochrome, to which thin gilding was often added. Jesuit ware rarely featured coloured decoration. Despite the artists’ careful copying of European prototypes, the drawing can almost always be identified as being by an artist trained in the Chinese tradition; sometimes the contrast of Chinese brushwork with European subject matter creates a sense of incongruity. Most surviving pieces date from 1730 to 1750.