Commemorating the Revolution on Chinaware

Commemorating the Revolution on Chinaware

The execution scene appeared on a plate. Even were this simply a souvenir that no one intended to actually eat from, this piece of china reveals fantastic revolutionary anger. Having a picture in crockery of an execution, even in a society where public executions were still occurring, still appears as bloodthirsty. But the use of this plate would seem to be a symbolic eating of one’s enemies. Is this a reverse communion, in which strength is drawn from the blood of the victim?

mfr 86.182

http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/104/

104