Plate

A Chinese boy, Sima Guang, saves a boy who is in danger of drowning in a large vat of water. Another child tries in vain to pull the boy out, but Sima Guang (at left) breaks the vessel by throwing a rock at it. He would later become a celebrated statesman, renowned for his quick wit. In Europe this motif – known as the ‘Hob in the Well’ – was so popular that English, French and German porcelain factories also adopted it.