Representations of Luther in Chinese porcelain of the 18th century

UID/HIS/04666/2019In our research on Chinese export porcelain for the European market throughout the Modern period we found pieces decorated with the portrait of Martin Luther, either alone or accompanied by religious representations. Chinese porcelain services and indi- vidual pieces were imported from the Orient from the time of the rst contacts, with par- ticular intensity in the 18th century, which coincided with the long reign of the Qianlong emperor. e dishes, tea cups and teapots decorated with the image of Luther date from that period and are believed by researchers to have been commissioned for the markets of northern Europe, where Luther’s ideas had the greatest impact and expansion. Some authors argue that certain services with this ecoration were made to commemorate the centennial of his death, 1746, which coincides with their date of manufacture. One image of Luther anked by two angels and surmounted by a cartouche with his initials and a reprentation of Christ preaching to his disciples is a copy of an engraving by Frans Brun printed in a Dutch Lutheran bible. However, there are known pieces with the same image reproduced in varying degrees of quality, and other pieces with the same historical character but with di erent con gurations, which excludes the possibiliy that they were part of a single order. Representations of Luther on 18th century Chinese porcelain leave us with more ques- tions than answers about their origin and purpose, but are important for an extensive reection about Luther’s thought and in uence in religious, social and cultural spheres in the following centuries.publishersversionpublishe