Note from Expert: This famille rose plate is dated to the Yongzheng period. It depict a famous scene from “The Romance of the West Chamber” in which the main protagonist Zhang Sheng sets off to participate the imperial exam in order to gain approval to marry his love Yingying. The plate is in a lovely condition. Although there is a small defect, the plate has a bright Yongzheng colour that is well preserved. The composition is also different from the usual Export ware with no boarder and is very much in the Chinese taste. A Chinese famille rose Romance of the Western Chamber plate China Yongzheng period (1723-1735) Diam : 23 cm Very small chips at the back. A plate decorated with this scene, from the Leo and Doris Hodroff Collection, is reproduced by David S. Howard in The Choice of the Private Trader, The Private Market in Chinese Export Porcelain illustrated from the Hodroff Collection (1994, p. 64, no. 40). Episode of the Romance of the Western Chamber (Xixiang ji) which shows the scholar Zhang Junrui (also called Zhang Sheng) embarking on his journey to take the examination to become a civil servant. #DianeChatelet