Melody Rose for il Milione

Commissioned by Hong Kong restaurant il Milione to design and make a set of fine bone china tableware for their private dining room, including charger plates and bowls finished in a hand applied burnished gold, Melody Rose designer Melanie Roseveare created four bespoke designs for the restaurant.

il Milione is the tale of Marco Polo, an early explorer and a merchant traveller, and his journeys during the period 1254 to 1324.  Taking inspiration from the the stories and tales of his journey, each of the four designs provide an illustrative view of different periods during Marco Polo’s life and his travels.
‘Marco Polo as a Tartar‘ is taken the painting by Jan van Grevenbroeck, an 18th century italian painter.
‘Marco Polo travelling in his Boat‘ taken from an image in the book il Milione, it shows Marco Polo travelling in his boat, filled with exotic animals and treasure.
‘Marco Polo’s camel caravan journey’  depicts an image of Marco Polo on his travels in a camel caravan and is made using part of an image taken from an early drawing from the 1300’s.
‘Excerpt from an early map’  inspired by Marco Polo’s travels, this design is taken from an excerpt of a typical map from this period, and is deconstructed to show the depiction of a city.