A beautifully rendered example of this well-known design-this Chinese export porcelain 8″ plate is decorated in underglaze blue with a scene from the “Riot of Rotterdam”.  As the story goes, a magistrate of the city passed an especially cruel and excessive verdict upon a local miscreant for a crime. So outraged were the citizens of the city over this miscarriage of justice that they rioted, attacked the magistrate’s house, and razed it to the ground. This act of public defiance to overbearing injustice became famous and was widely reported throughout Europe, the Dutch even struck a medallion to commemorate the action and it is from this medallion that the design for the plate was most likely taken. This is the first European historical event that is rendered upon a piece of Chinese porcelain. Dating to the Kangxi period, in very good condition, circa 1695-1700.