>>> One detail that jumps out at me is the fruit bowl. It's a Chinese >>> bowl, with calligraphy on the side.
There was a great demand for China wares, made in China and Japan, in the West. There was a whole industry set up which made their wares specifically for the Western markets. With different models and designs than those for the home markets. It was transported in crates of tea; a safe way. Stil today, in ship wrecks, divers find nice cups. There's quite a market for those, too. So a Chinese bowl in a 17th~19th century painting should not be a surprise.The owner probably bought it at his local market. And don't forget there was a whole industry of imitation China wares in the West as well, and some are really hard to tell apart: same model, same design, but where was it made: Arita or Delft? David -- ******************************* David van Ooijen [email protected] www.davidvanooijen.nl ******************************* To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
