A pair of Chinese Imari 'Pronk' dishes

Cornelis Pronk (1691-1759) was a painter, designer and draughtsman and was appointed in August 1743 to 'make all the designs and models to our satisfaction, of all such porcelain as will be ordered from time to time in the Indies.....' The volume of his known work is small. In fact it is possible to find only two drawings which are attributed to Pronk or his studio. Both are at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the designs known as 'La Dame au Parasol' and 'The Doctor's Visit to the Emperor'. See Howard and Ayers, China for the West, p. 293; and C.J.A. Jörg, Pronk Porcelain, p. 73.