Basin with rounded sides, a wide, flattened rim and a recessed base. The body is white porcelain, covered with a transparent, shiny, bluish porcelain glaze; foot rim unglazed. The basin is decorated inside with two female figures seated in a domestic scene in the centre, nine male figures in a landscape scene around the cavetto, and a band of floral scrolls at the flattened rim. The outside is decorated with three sprays of bamboo. All designs are painted with famille rose overglaze enamel.
The pink enamel used on this basin was also known as Canton enamel in the west, named after the city Canton, or Guangzhou, in Guangdong province of southern China, where both the enamel painted wares on copper and enamelled porcelain were manufactured for the export market. In China, the famille rose enamel painted in Guangzhou was called Guangcai. Guang refers to the name of the city, Guangzhou, cai means colour. The white porcelain vessels were made in Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province and transported to Guangzhou to be painted with famille rose overglaze enamel, and then fired for the second time at a lower temperature.
