Chinese export pseudo tobacco leaf plate, the center painted with a leafy plant and a chrysanthemum, the border with three bouquets of flowers.

China c. 1740-50
9" diameter

PRICE: $450  

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Condition: Fine condition- no chips, cracks or repairs.

The term "tobacco leaf" was first used by W. G. Gulland in his 1898 book, "Chinese Porcelain". In it, he illustrates a plate with an identical leafy plant, and described as "a bouquet of brown leaves with undertones of red and veins of gold with white enamel stems...This model is known as a tobacco leaf motif." [1] The foliage is actually similar to Chinese cabbage, but its representation in the brown tobacco color gave the motif its name. What would later be called "tobacco leaf", with its bright colors and exuberant designs, evolved from this early motif.

Many variations on this early pseudo-tobacco leaf design were produced. Pierre L. Debomy illustrates three on pages 183 and 185. (See footnote below.) Each has a central clump of wide leaves with white stems low to the ground.

[1]
Pierre L. Debomy, "Tobacco Leaf" and "Pseudo" : A Tentative Inventory (Societe des Amis du Musee National de Ceramique, 2013), 25.