Kraak Porcelain wares 1570-1645 - Dishes

Object 2011031

Dish

China

1595-1645

Provenance: Previously sold by the late Mr R. Kessels, a former antiques dealer in Groningen, the Netherlands.

Height 39 mm (1.54 inch), diameter of rim 205 mm (8.07 inch), diameter of footring 120 mm (4.72 inch), weight 255 grams (8.99 ounce (oz.))

Dish on footring, everted and scalloped rim. Some kiln sand adhering to the footring. The meisande, or petalled, style decoration in underglaze blue with ducks-in-a-pond next to flowering chrysanthemum and lotus plants surrounded by an elaborate bracketed border and encircled by a ten pointed scalloped medallion. On the moulded sides and rim ten round, or onion shaped, medallions filled with auspicious symbols. In between the medallions a single looped bow. On the reverse wide panels filled with lines and dots. The footring has been pierced.

According to Rinaldi this dish can be classified as a border VIII dish. In border VIII dishes rims are always straight with a slightly flared and foliated edge. The panels on the gently curved cavetto are transformed into round or drop-shaped medallions. These are separated from the usual eight pointed centre medallion by thickly drawn brackets. Dishes of this type are usually small (from 130 mm (5.12 inch) to 200 mm (7.87 inch) in diameter). Auspicious symbols have become the most common decoration in the centre medallions, but floral motifs or animal appear as well. The grasshopper emerges as a favourite decoration. The underside is divided into sections by a single line bifurcated near the footrim. Each section contains stylized symbols or jewels and dots. (Rinaldi 1989, pp.109-111)

A hole has been drilled in the very short footring in order to fit a wire through it - the traditional Dutch way to hang dishes on walls as display pieces. (Rinaldi 1989, p.137)

A similarly shaped and well painted dish was excavated from the wreck of the Dutch East India Company, (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC) vessel the Witte Leeuw (1613). Its properly excavated and documented cargo included many pieces of kraak porcelain in a wealth of varieties. (Jörg & Van Campen 1997, p.55)

The Japanese refer to these dishes as 'meisande' and to the panelled style as 'fuyoda'. Numerous dishes of this type were found in the Banda (wrecked 1615) but do not occur in the Ardebil collection, which was completed before 1611. (Pijl-Ketel 1982, p.83)

For similarly decorated dishes, please see:

For a dish with an identically decorated elaborate bracketed border, please see:

The Wanli Shipwreck and its ceramic cargo, (S. Sjostrand & S. Lok Lok bt. Syed Idrus, Kuala Lumpur, 2007), pp.232-233, cat. 2629.

Condition: A firing flaw to the base. Some very very shallow glaze rough spots and a fleabite to the rim.

References:

Amsterdam 1977, lot 1003

Pijl-Ketel 1982, pp. 83-100 & inv.no:5210

Rinaldi 1989, p.137 & Pl. 107

Pinto de Matos 1996, cat. 56

Jörg & Van Campen 1997, p.55

Sjostrand & Lok Lok 2007, Serial No. 4580, 4584, 5095, 5097A &,5097C

Krahe 2016, cat. 208

Price: € 1.299 Currency Converter