A rare oval Chinese export porcelain famille rose ‘Cloth traders’ drainer

Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period, circa 1750
 

H. 29.8 x W. 37.2 cm
 

Depicted is a harbour scene with a cloth trader offering his merchandise to prospective buyers, while he is showing what looks like an indication of the size and price of a bale of his cloth. On the left is also a bale with the inscription TZAP(?), possibly the sign of a cloth trader from Leiden, The Netherlands.

The central medallion is inscribed Caro de Oro and Fabrica de Brusela. The source of this design is a copper plate for engraving labels on packages of bales of Leiden woollen fabric in the 18th century.
A copper plate with this design is in the collection of Museum de Lakenhal in Leiden (inv. no. 11056).