Antique Lacquered Early 19th-Century English Chinoiserie Toleware Tray

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An elongated rectangular painted tin tray with rounded ends, finished in a black ground and decorated in the chinoiserie taste. … Read more An elongated rectangular painted tin tray with rounded ends, finished in a black ground and decorated in the chinoiserie taste. The central panel depicts a fanciful Oriental scene of two figures seated in a boat beneath canopied pavilions, surrounded by water, bamboo, and stylized architecture, including pagoda-like towers. The scene is rendered in muted gilt, ochre, red, and green tones, framed by delicate gilt foliage to the borders.

The tray is formed from pressed sheet metal with a folded rim, and the underside is painted black. The imagery reflects European interpretations of Chinese export art, derived from engravings and decorative patterns rather than Chinese pictorial conventions See less