Dish with the story of "Hob in the Well"

Dish with the story of "Hob in the Well"

Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Identified by the Chelsea factory as "Hob in the Well," the theme on this plate is reputed to have come from the hero of the play The Country Wake, written and first produced by Thomas Doggett (1660–1721) in 1696. Although it is not known how the name and composition came to be associated, it is clear that this representation of the scene is based on the Japanese version of the Chinese story of Sima Guang.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dish with the story of "Hob in the Well"Dish with the story of "Hob in the Well"Dish with the story of "Hob in the Well"Dish with the story of "Hob in the Well"Dish with the story of "Hob in the Well"

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.