The group includes a string player and flautist accompanied by a third musician clapping his hands. The piece was thinly moulded and has a greenish toned glaze.The rockwork backdrop possibly a Daoist reference to nature worship is also found in other 18th century pieces where figures participate in similar contemplative pursuits such as playing chess. Although thinly moulded, the sense of depth in the rockwork typifies the sculptural sensibilities of the Dehua potters and their ability re-interpret two-dimensional sources of inspiration, such as the paintings of idyllic landscape scenes that were produced during the late Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.Dehua, located on the southeast coast of Fujian province, is well known for its production of white porcelain, known to Europeans as 'blanc de Chine'. The earliest Dehua porcelain was produced as early as the 14th century but the production and quality of these porcelain peaked around the 17th and 18th centuries.
