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The serving of actual boars’ heads was an English Christmas tradition dating back to early medieval times. Ceramic tureens interpreting animal heads, called prèsentoirs by the French, were first made in the West between 1748 and 1754. A vessel from a European factory could have been the inspiration for this Chinese version. The Chinese, however, never sought the exact realism of the Western originals. They created “translations” rather than imitations. Back |
Boar’s Head Tureen, ca. 1763, China. Porcelain. |