Viennese Chinoiserie porcelain cabinet plate depicting Hong Kong

This rare porcelain plate portrays The Racket Court in Hong Kong. The central circular roundel of the plate is painted in its entirety with a view of the Hong Kong countryside, while the encompassing border is a tour de force of Chinoiserie style detailing: the chased gilt border that encompasses the roundel is bounded outside with an abstracted landscape over black ground of cranes, birds, and foliage, all executed with the most exceptional use of parcel gilding and enamelling.

The reverse of the plate is inscribed ‘The Racket Court, Hong Kong’ and signed ‘Wahliss, Wiess’, for Ernest Wahliss of Vienna.