A Chinese famille rose "le pèlerins de l'île de Cythere" pattipan China Qianlong period (1736-1795), ca. 1740 Diam 13 cm Very good condition The scene depicts the mythological tale of a fête galante, a popular subject of the 18th-century French aristocracy and artists, including painter Jean-Antoine Watteau’s famous ‘The Embarkation for Cythera’. The myth of the island of Cythera was a great success in the libertine society of the 18th century, the island being considered since Antiquity as the residence of Venus, goddess of love. The presence of Cupid on the painting helps to reinforce this evocation.