Sold Ceramics - Sold Transitional wares 1620-1683 - Page 1

Object 2012108

Mustard pot

China

c.1635-1645

Height 106 mm (4.17 inch), diameter mouthrim 50 mm (1.97 inch), diameter of footring 55 mm (2.17 inch), weight 243 grams (8.57 ounce (oz.)).

Mustard pot of hexagonal ribbed and ovoid form with a pedestal foot and a sunked in base. Curved C-shaped handle. Wide mouth with glazed rim for cover, now missing. Decorated in underglaze blue with single flower sprays, bamboo and flowering, prunus, irises, lotus and aster plants. Around the foot a descending lotus leaves pattern border, on the handle cloud motifs.

In 1644, the Ming dynasty was replaced by the Qing dynasty, which was preceded by a transitional period. This gave rise to the name 'transitional porcelain'. A typical feature of this transitional porcelain is that the decoration extends over the entire object. Elegant flower sprays applied as scattered decorative elements that do not seem to form a composite whole typify mid-17th century transitional porcelain. (Jörg 2002/2, p.70)

Mustard pots were ordered by the Dutch East India Company, (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC), as early as 1608. From 1625 onward, the VOC had a trading post on Formosa (present-day Taiwan). Chinese junk seafarers soon made regular trips to Formosa with a large assortment of Chinese goods. The VOC could now order products that were in demand in the Netherlands, such as salts, jugs with spouts, terrines and suchlike, with a Dutch form. This mustard pot was also part of this product line. Volker reports that in 1639 the VOC ordered 200 mustard pots of which half are to be 'ribbed as sample' and illustrates one of this form. A number of such mustard pots of exactly this design were in the cargo of a Chinese junk salvaged in 1983 by Captain Michael Hatcher and sold in Amsterdam in 1984, which also contained (unrelated) pieces with the cyclical date for 1643. Throughout the 17th century the VOC continued to order mustard pots in large quantities of up to a thousand at a time. (Howard 1994, p.129)

Just like salt, mustard was once an important taste-inducing additive on the dinner table, though it had less status because it was locally made. Still the luxurious mustard pots made of Chinese or Japanese 17th century porcelain were quite large. Mustard used to have to be stirred before use, which is why mustard pots often had a little opening in their lids for a small stirring stick. Sometimes such a pot was fitted with a new nice silver lid, which lacked an opening. A tiny piece of pottery was then broken out of the rim, in order to allow the stirring stick or spoon to fit in.

For identically and similarly shaped mustard pot, please see:

Condition: A firing flaw to the inner footring, some chipped of glaze flakes to the handle and some glaze rough spots to the mouthrim caused by the cover, now missing.

References:

Volker 1954, reprint 1971, Pl. XII, cat. 20

Amsterdam 1984/1, lot 104-105

Howard 1994, cat. 132

Jörg 2002/2, p.70

Jörg 2003/1, cat. 184

Suchomel 2015, p.125

Price: Sold.