Sharing with you this amazing Chinese porcelain dish from the Qianlong period. It is Chine de Commande porcelain with an encre de chine scene depicting the story of Cimon en Iphigenia.

The story of Cimon and Iphigenia comes from Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron (Day V, Tale I) and tells of love’s power to transform character. Cimon, the son of a noble Cypriot family, is initially brutish, uneducated, and wild—considered a disgrace to his family. One day, while wandering the countryside, he sees the beautiful and noble Iphigenia asleep in a grove. Overcome by her beauty, Cimon is struck by love.

This moment profoundly changes him. Determined to win her affection, he reforms himself: he learns manners, studies philosophy, and becomes cultured and articulate. His transformation astonishes his family and peers. However, when Cimon seeks Iphigenia’s hand, her family rejects him due to his past and arranges for her to marry another.

Not willing to lose her, Cimon takes a ship and abducts Iphigenia at sea. Eventually, after several twists—including battles, imprisonment, and eventual forgiveness—Cimon and Iphigenia are wed with the approval of her family.

The tale celebrates love’s redemptive and civilizing force. It was popular in Renaissance Europe and inspired many artworks, including Chinese export porcelain decorated with scenes based on Western prints of Rubens’ painting of Cimon discovering the sleeping Iphigenia.