Mounted Oriental Porcelain

Since the Middle Ages Europeans mounted oriental porcelain in settings of precious or semiprecious metal as a tribute to the value of the pieces. And beginning in the 18th century, it became increasingly fashionable in Parisian society to decorate the interiors of houses with Far Eastern materials such as lacquer and mounted porcelain. This revised catalog features thirty-two examples from the Getty's collection of lacquer and porcelain mounted in settings of silver, gold, and gilt bronze, ranging in date from 1665 to 1785.