This unique plate of Chinese porcelain is decorated in Europe in various overglaze enamels. In the central field is painted a quay with buildings and the sails of a ship. At the right side stand some merchants, on the left side a cloth vendor, surrounded by his assistants, is showing his merchandise. Prices are written on the piece of cloth he holds. In the middle foreground is a cartouche with a coach and a border text reading CARO DE ORO FABRICA DE BRUSELA. On the border are three flower sprays and on the top the coat of arms of the city of Brussels.
The central scene and the arms are painted in Europe and it is assumed that the plate was ordered as a gift for business associates or clients by a merchant in Brussels camlet, a high-quality fabric. One of the markets for this fabric was Spain and the type and the Spanish inscription CARO DE ORO referred to the type of cloth as well as the golden-painted coach in which it was transported. An unknown print or drawing was the model for the painter, probably a hausmaler (private enameller) in the Southern or Northern Netherlands. The plate has a late 19th-century restoration, with small clamps in drilled holes.
(C.J.A. Jörg, 1989)