Recent Acquisitions
On this page you'll find my latest acquisitions, It may, however, take some time for all objects to load.
This way you can quickly browse through my recently acquired objects without having to browse through all the various categories.
After four weeks each object in 'Recent Acquisitions' will be moved to their specific category.
Latest update; May 24, 2020.
Japanese Blue and White wares 17th Century - Tableware and other Porcelain with Western Shapes
Object 2012064
Tankard / Beer mug
Japan
1660-1680
Height 184 mm (7.24 inch), diameter 123 mm (4.84 inch), diameter of mouthrim 80 mm (3.15 inch), diameter of footring 70 mm (2.76 inch), weight 820 grams (28.92 ounce (oz.))
Tankard / beer mug on footring. Oviform body with broad neck. Curved pierced handle. Decorated in underglaze blue with three shaped panels reserved on a ground of karakusa scrolls divided by different stylised flowers. In each panel a mountainous landscape with fir trees, a pavilion and birds.
This is the most common type of beer mug and occurs in a number of sizes. A similar decoration is also seen on ewers. Beer mug were supplied without lids, which were mounted in the Netherlands later. However, a possibly unique example in the Imaemon Museum, Arita, has a flat porcelain cover decorated with karakusa scrolls and a loop ring. (Jörg 2003/1. p.169)
For centuries lo-alcoholic beer had been a common less risky alternative to water, which often was quite polluted. There has therefore been a long design tradition of beer ware such as beer jugs, mugs and crucibles. As soon as the possibility arose of having porcelain copies of all kinds of practical Dutch (household) ware manufactured in China, beer jugs were also often made to order there. Both tall straight models as well as bulbous types were available. In Japan beer mugs were only manufactured for trade during a short period of time in the late 17th century. The existence of Delft copies of these jugs illustrates that there must have been a considerable demand for them in the Netherlands in those days. (source: Groninger Museum)
For similarly shaped or decorated tankards / beer mugs, please see:
- Japans porselein met blauwe decoraties uit de tweede helft van de zeventiende en de eerste helft van de achttiende eeuw, (D.F. Lunsingh Scheurleer, in, Mededelingenblad Nederlandse Vereniging van Vrienden van de Ceramiek, 64/65, 1971), p.95. cat. 131, 132 & 134.
- Chinesisches und japanisches Porzellan in europäischen Fassungen, (D.F. Lunsingh Scheurleer, Verlag Klinkhardt & Biermann, Braunschweig,1980), pp.388-389, cat. 408, 409, 410, 411 & 412.
- H.A. Daendels, Catalogus tentoonstelling Japans blauw wit Porselein. Op Hollandse bestelling en in de Japanse smaak, exhibition catalogue Gemeentelijk Museum Het Princessehof, Leeuwarden 1981. Also Published as Mededelingenblad Nederlandse Vereniging van Vrienden van de Ceramiek, vols. 101/102, p.71, cat. 105, 106 & 107, p.72. cat. 108.
- Ko-Imari from the collection of Oliver Impey, (Barry Davies Oriental Art, London, 1997), pp. 34-35, cat. 11.
- Japanese Export Porcelain. Catalogue of the Collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, (O. Impey, Hotei Publishing, Amsterdam, 2002), p.54, cat. 34.
- Fine & Curious: Japanese Export Porcelain in Dutch Collections, (C.J.A. Jörg, Hotei publishing, Amsterdam, 2003), p.169, cat. 200.
- Ko-Imari from the collection of Oliver Impey, (Barry Davies Oriental Art, London, 1997), pp. 42-43, cat. 18.
Condition: A restored chip to the rim with a connected hairline.
References:
Lunsingh Scheurleer 1971, cat. 131, 132 & 134
Lunsingh Scheurleer 1980, cat. 408, 409, 410 & 411
Daendels 1981, cat. 105, 106, 107 & 108
Price: Sold.
Japanese Imari 1690-1800
Object 2012238
Bowl
Japan
1700-1720
Height 103 mm (4.06 inch), diameter of rim 216 mm (8.50 inch), diameter of footring 88 mm (3.46 inch), weight 828 grams (29.21 ounce (oz.))
Lobbed bowl on footring, scalloped rim. Imari, decorated in underglaze blue, iron red, green, turquoise, aubergine, yellow and gold. The central lobbed panel with a prunus spray. The sides with flowering chrysanthemums, single kiku-flowers and branches of lespedeza flowers. One chrysanthemum and the kiku-fllowers are moulded in low relief. The outside is divided into four panels with double cherry blossoms and four two-sided panels, one side with foliate scrolls in gold on a dark blue ground, the other with a blossoming prunus tree. The two sides connected by a roundel showing a violet with long leaves. (Jörg 2003/1, p.100)
This bowl can be considered a good example of elaborate Imari with raised motifs. The scalloped rim of this bowl is meant to resemble a kiku-flower, a shape mirrored in the decoration. A similar bowl is in the Shibata Collection. (Jörg 2003/1, p.112)
This pattern was copied in China and in many European porcelain factories, including Chelsea and Worcester. For a Chelsea copy, see Porcelain for Palaces, no. 345. There are Chelsea and Worcester copies in the Marshall Collection, nos 190,191. (Impey 2002, p.189)
For an identically shaped and decorated bowl, please see:
-
Sold Ceramics - Sold Japanese Imari 1690-1800 - Other wares - Page 1 - Object 2011605.
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Sold Ceramics - Sold Japanese Imari 1690-1800 - Other wares - Page 1 - Object 2012031.
- Japanese Porcelain, (S. Jenyns, Faber & Faber, London / Boston, 1979), cat. 47a.
- Fine & Curious. Japanese Export Porcelain in Dutch Collections, (C.J.A. Jörg, Hotei Publishing, Amsterdam, 2003), p.100, cat. 100.
- The Shibata Collection Part II, (The Kyushu Ceramic Museum, Kyushu, 1991), p.254, cat. 665.
- Complete Catalogue of the Shibata Collection, (The Kyushu Ceramic Museum, Kyushu 2003), p.359, cat. 2810.
- Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Museum number 834-1892.
- Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Museum number C.1507-1910.
For an similarly decorated bowl, please see:
- Toelichtende beschrijving van de verzameling Chineesch en Japansch porselein, Chineesch en Europeesch rood steengoed en aardewerk, aanwezig in het Groningsch Museum / Catalogue of Oriental Ceramics and European Earthenware in the Collection of the Groninger Museum, (M.A. de Visser, Groningen, 1930), cat. 51.
- De haas en de maan Arita porselein in Japan, 1620-1820 / The Hare and the Moon Arita Porcelain in Japan, 1620-1820, (M. Fitski, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam with Uitgeverij Waanders b.v., Zwolle, 2002), p.31 cat. 29.
For an identically decorated dish, please see:
Condition: A restored frit and a re-stuck piece to the rim with four filled holes (remains from old removed clamps) with a connected hairline.
References:
Ayers, Impey & Mallet 1990, no. 345
Victoria & Albert Museum, Museum number 834-1892
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Museum number C.1507-1910
Price: Sold.
Japanese wares with Western Shapes or Designs 1653-1800
Object 2011854
Ewer
Japan
1700-1720
Height 89 mm (3.50 inch), diameter 70 mm (2.76 inch), diameter of mouthrim 28 mm (1.10 inch), diameter of footring 42 mm (1.96 inch), weight 121 grams (4.27 ounce (oz.))
Oviform ewer on footring, wide neck with pinched spout . Curved pierced handle placed at an angle to the spout. Fitted with an contemporary unmarked silver mount. Imari decorated in underglaze blue, iron-red and gold with flowering prunus branches and a reserved roundel with the initial 'A' for the Dutch word azijn (vinegar), the underglaze blue handle and spout set at right angles.
A specific group of ewers is decorated with the letters 'O', 'A', or 'S' indicating their contents: 'O' stands for olie (oil), 'A' for azijn (vinegar), 'L' for limoen (lemon), the 'S' or 'Z' for soya or zoja (soy). They were used at the dinner table in The Netherlands. Arts adds the letter 'C' for conserven (?) (preserves). (Arts 1983, p.50), (Jörg 2003/1, p.176)
For identically decorated ewers, please see:
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Japanese wares with Western Shapes or Designs 1653-1800 - Page 1 - Object 2010227.
- China for the West. Chinese Porcelain and other Decorative Arts for Export illustrated from the Mottahedeh Collection, (D.S. Howard & J. Ayers, Philip Wilson Publishers for Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, London 1978), vol. 1, p.132, cat. 111.
- Important Chinese Export Porcelain from the Mottahedeh Collection, (Sotheby's, New York, Wednesday, January 30, 1985), lot 63.
For an identically decorated ewer with the initial 'O', please see:
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Japanese wares with Western Shapes or Designs 1653-1800 - Page 1 - Object 2010196.
- Japanese porcelain. A collector's guide to general aspects and decorative motifs, (P.L.W. Arts, De Tijdstroom, Lochem, 1983), p.50, Plate 22.
- Ceramics crossed overseas. Jingdezhen, Imari and Delft from the Collection of the Groninger Museum, (C.J.A. Jörg et al., Tokyo, 1999), p.74, cat. 97-1.
For an identically decorated ewer with the initial 'Z', please see:
-
Japanese wares with Western Shapes or Designs 1653-1800 - Page 1 - Object 2010707.
- Japanese porcelain. A collector's guide to general aspects and decorative motifs, (P.L.W. Arts, De Tijdstroom, Lochem, 1983), p.50, Plate 22.
- Ceramics crossed overseas. Jingdezhen, Imari and Delft from the Collection of the Groninger Museum, (C.J.A. Jörg et al., Tokyo, 1999), p.74, cat. 97-2.
Condition: A firing tension hairline, caused by the firing processs, to the handle and a chip to to underside of the spout.
References:
Price: € 199 - $ 215 - £ 174
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Chine de commande - Western Subjects 1680-1800 - Various Subjects - Various
Object 2011523
Teacup and saucer
China
1760-1780
Height of teacup 44 mm (1.73 inch), diameter of rim 75 mm (2.95 inch), diameter of footring 35 mm (1.37 inch), weight 52 grams (1.83 ounce (oz.))
Height of saucer 29 mm (1.14 inch), diameter of rim 121 mm (4.76 inch), diameter of footring 72 mm (2.83 inch), weight 93 grams (3.28 ounce (oz.))
Teacup and saucer on footrings with moulded walls in the shape of lotus leaves and lobed rims. Decorated in two shades of underglaze blue, various overglaze enamels and gold with the so-called 'tobacco leaf' design with veined broad leaves intermingled with flowers, sprouting from a stem; the upper section is left free, except for a single slender flower spray. On the reverse rim two flower heads and half a flower head. The teacup is decorated en suite.
The term 'tobacco leaf' is widely used now, but in fact it is not the tobacco plant that is depicted here. However the leaves are possibly not those of the tobacco plant, but are as likely to be derived, possibly with some help from a European or Indian textile designer, from the 'thick tropical, variegated-leaf foliage of Southern Asia and the Pacific' while the blossoms almost certainly are hibiscus and passion fruit. Others suggest it might be anona or custard-apple. The heavy, colourful and decorative pattern, made well into the 19th century, appealed to the European public. The several varieties (at least five principal variants of the 'tobacco leaf' motif are known which include birds and figures among the leaves) enjoyed great popularity and were copied on European ceramics as well. (Howard & Ayers 1978, vol. 2, p.542, Jörg 1989/2, pp.104-105, cat. 30, Howard 1994, p.184, cat. 211, Litzenburg 2003, p.225, cat. 231)
For identically decorated objects, please see:
- Collecting Chinese Export Porcelain, (E. Gordon, Universe Books, New York, 1977), Plate VIII.
- China for the West. Chinese Porcelain and other Decorative Arts for Export illustrated from the Mottahedeh Collection, (D.S. Howard & J. Ayers, Philip Wilson Publishers for Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, London 1978), vol. 2, p.542, cat. 557.
- Christie's pictorial history of Chinese ceramics, (A. du Boulay, Phaidon-Christie's, Oxford 1984), p.279, cat. 3.
- Chinese Export Porcelain. Chine de Commande from the Royal Museum of Art and History in Brussels, exhibition catalogue Hong Kong Museum of Art, (C.J.A. Jörg, The Urban Council, Hong Kong, 1989), pp.104-105, cat 30.
- The Choice of the Private Trader. The Private Market in Chinese Export Porcelain illustrated from the Hodroff Collection, (D.S. Howard, Zwemmer, London, 1994), p.184, cat. 211.
Condition saucer: Two fleabites to the footring, three frits to the rim and an X-shaped hairline to the base.
Condition teacup: A frit with a Y-shaped hairline. three separate hairlines and a chip to the rim.
References:
Howard & Ayers 1978, vol. 2, cat. 557
Jörg & Van Campen 1997, p.271, cat. 315
Price: Sold.
Chinese Imari 1700-1800
Object 2010729
Tea caddy
China
1730-1740
Height including cover 122 mm (4.80 inch), height excluding cover 116 mm (4.57 inch), dimensions 96 mm (3.77 inch) x 54 mm (2.13 inch), weight including cover 360 grams (12.70 ounce (oz.)), weight cover 22 grams (0.78 ounce (oz.))
Tea caddy of rectangular form with canted corners. Four flat feet at the corners. On the flat top an unglazed cylindrical mouth with its original cover. Chinese Imari, decorated in underglaze blue, overglaze iron-red and gold with on the large panels a flower head on a ruyi head flanked by leafy scrolls and on the small panels flowering plants growing from behind a garden fence. The corner panels are filled with half flower heads on an underglaze blue ground with leafy scrolls in gold. On the shoulder two flower sprays. The cover is decorated on the side with flower sprays and on top with a river scape.
Only grown in China and Japan during the 17th Century, tea became known in the Netherlands early because the Dutch East India Company (VOC) shipped small quantities home. Its use as a beverage was established slowly, and was probably started by retired VOC employees who had become accustomed to drinking tea in the East. At a tea party, the expensive beverage was served in small teapots, one for each guest, filled with the leaves of the type he or she preferred. The tea was poured into small cups, while the teapot was refilled with hot water from a metal or sometimes ceramic kettle. Teacups should be thin (Delftware cups were too thick) and porcelain was the ideal material. Fortunately, the Chinese had a long tradition of drinking tea and their cups - without handles or matching saucers - and teapots arrived in Europe in the wake of the tea cargoes. When tea became more popular, the imports of tea (and later coffee) wares increased. Matching saucers, probably based on the Islamic practice of drinking coffee from metal cups with saucers, became standard around the 1690s. Tall cups with covers were a short-lived fashion because they were too expensive, while cups with handles seem to have been introduced in the 1710s. The French started drinking tea with milk and sugar, and consequently small milk jugs made after Western models, candy pots and pattipans (small saucers placed underneath the teapot and milk jug to prevent drops from falling on the table) were introduced. Tea caddies, spoon trays and slop bpowls used to rinse the teacups followed. The tea service, with uniformly decorated components, was developed in England in the early 18th century. (Jörg 2011/2, p.131)
Condition: Various popped bubbles of glaze to rim of the cover, caused during the firing process and some glaze rough spots to the edges of the tea caddy.
References:
Exhibition: The World at Home: Asian porcelain and Delft pottery held from 17 June 2017 to 10 March 2019 at the Groninger Museum, The Netherlands.
Price: € 499 - $ 547 - £ 437
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Japanese wares with Western Shapes or Designs 1653-1800
Objects 2012243 & 2012244
Two coffee pots
Japan
1700-1720
Object 2012243:
Height with cover 295 mm (11.61 inch), height without cover 265 mm (10.43 inch), diameter handle to spout 225 mm (8.86 inch), diameter of mouthrim 76 mm (2.99 inch), diameter of footring 145 mm (5.71 inch), weight with cover 1,827 grams (64.45 ounce (oz.)), weight cover 68 grams (2.40 ounce (oz.))
Object 2012244:
Height with cover 295 mm (11.61 inch), height without cover 261 mm (10.28 inch), diameter handle to spout 225 mm (8.86 inch), diameter of mouthrim 78 mm (3.07 inch), diameter of footring 150 mm (5.91 inch), weight with cover 1,643 grams (57.96 ounce (oz.)), weight cover 85 grams (3.00 ounce (oz.))
Two coffee pots of conical shape on footrings with glazed bases. Curved, flat pieced handles, domed covers with pointed knobs and loop rings (intended for chains between the top of the handles and the loop rings on the covers). The holes for the mounted Dutch brass taps in the lower parts are surrounded by squares in low relief. Decorated in underglaze blue with two large phoenixes or pheasants perched on rocks, flowering peonies and chrysanthemums. On the handle karakusa scrolls. The covers are decorated en suite.
As was the case with tea, it was not until the end of the 17th century that drinking coffee became popular in Europe, each town had his own coffee house, where everyone - which in fact meant mainly men - could enjoy drinking a cup of coffee. The Dutch East India Company, (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC), started off mainly importing coffee from Yemen, experimenting only later with plantations of their own in Java.
However, drinking coffee had for centuries already been a common practice in the Middle East. European coffee pots were therefore often modelled after Islamic copper examples. Two types of coffee pots were most frequently commissioned in Asian porcelain: conical and belly shaped. The conical shaped pot originally came from Japan. After brewed coffee was poured into this luxurious porcelain pot, it was held warm on a stand and subsequently served through a metal tap which had later been added to the pot after it had been imported to the Netherlands. At the bottom of the pot the coffee grounds were collected. Coffee pots from China, where both types were made, don't feature a tap but a spout. (The World at Home, exhibition Groninger Museum 17 june 2017 - 31 march 2019)
The utensils necessary for consuming tea and coffee developed in parallel with their increasing popularity. Dutch Copper coffee pots of conical shape are known in the late 17th centurY, and there were also silver examples. A double-walled copper coffee pot probably made for the the Netherlands Dutch confirms its use. The Arita porcelain copies will have been made from a similar model. Some have three feet, other none. The feet eliminate the disadvantage of an uneven base: pots without feet were apparently put on a brazier or stand (added in Europe), or were mounted. The loop ring had a silver chain fixed to the hole in the handle to prevent the cover from falling off. An octagonal variety with spout is known in Chine de commande., but otherwise the shape is not represented in Chinese export porcelain. This underglaze blue version is quite common, indicating a widespread use of these Japanese pots. (Jörg 2003/1, p. 204, cat. 261)
Coffee pots, usually three-legged, are common in blue-and-white and in enamelled Imari. usually there is one hole left for a tap to be fitted in Europe, occasionally there are three. (Ayers, Impey & Mallet 1990, p.213)
For identically shaped, sized and decorated coffee pots, please see;
- Japans porselein met blauwe decoraties uit de tweede helft van de zeventiende en de eerste helft van de achttiende eeuw. (D.F. Lunsingh Scheurleer in Mededelingenblad Nederlandse Vereniging van Vrienden van de Ceramiek, vols. 64/65, 1971), p.89, cat. 113 & cat. 114.
- Chinesisches und japanisches Porzellan in europäischen Fassungen, (D.F. Lunsingh Scheurleer, Verlag Klinkhardt & Biermann, Braunschweig,1980), p.398, Abb. 429a.
- Eastern Ceramics and other works of art from the collection of Gerald Reitlinger, (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford 1981), p.94, cat 262.
- Japanese Export Porcelain. Catalogue of the Collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, (O. Impey, Hotei Publishing, Amsterdam, 2002), p.106, cat. 121.
For identically shaped, sized and decorated coffee pots on three feet, please see;
- Chinesisches und japanisches Porzellan in europäischen Fassungen, (D.F. Lunsingh Scheurleer, Verlag Klinkhardt & Biermann, Braunschweig,1980), p.399, Abb. 430 & 432.
- H.A. Daendels, Catalogus tentoonstelling Japans blauw wit Porselein. Op Hollandse bestelling en in de Japanse smaak, exhibition catalogue Gemeentelijk Museum Het Princessehof, Leeuwarden 1981. Also Published as Mededelingenblad Nederlandse Vereniging van Vrienden van de Ceramiek, vols. 101/102, p.33, cat. 15.
- Fine & Curious: Japanese Export Porcelain in Dutch Collections, (C.J.A. Jörg, Hotei Publishing, Amsterdam, 2003), p.204, cat. 261.
- Austrumu porcellans un Niderlande. Austrumu un Rietumu mijiedarbiba 17. gadsimta / Oriental Porcelain and the Netherlands. Interaction between East and West in the 17th century, (C.J.A. Jörg, Art Museum Riga Bourse, Riga, 2011), pp.226-227, cat. 79.
For an identically shaped, sized and decorated coffee pot with Danish silver mounts that bears the monogram of King Frederick IV of Denmark (r.1699-1730) and the Holstein coat of arms on tap, in the Princess's lacquered chamber at Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen. (Impey 2002, p. 106) to see this coffee pot, please see:
- Japanese Porcelain, (S. Jenyns, Faber & Faber, London / Boston, 1979), cat. 18a.
- Chinesisches und japanisches Porzellan in europäischen Fassungen, (D.F. Lunsingh Scheurleer, Verlag Klinkhardt & Biermann, Braunschweig,1980), p.397, Abb. 427.
For other identically shaped, sized and decorated mounted coffee pots, please see;.
- Chinesisches und japanisches Porzellan in europäischen Fassungen, (D.F. Lunsingh Scheurleer, Verlag Klinkhardt & Biermann, Braunschweig,1980), p.397, Abb. 428.
- Early Japanese Porcelain: Arita Porcelain in the Dresden Collection, (F. Reichel, Londen 1981), cat. 15.
- Mistrovská dĩla Japonského porcelánu / Masterpieces of Japanese Porcelain, (F. Suchomel, Prague 1997), p.71, cat. 11.
Condition object 2012243: A firing flaw to the belly and the handle, a restored loopring to the cover and a shallow chip to the rim.
Condition object 2012244: Some fine crazing to the glaze, a firing flaw to the handle and to glaze rough spots to the square in low relief that fits the Dutch brass tap. The cover is completely restored.
References:
Lunsingh Scheurleer 1971, cat. 113 & 114
Lunsingh Scheurleer 1980, p.397, Abb. 427 & 428, p.398, Abb. 429a & p.399 Abb. 430 & 432
Ayers, Impey & Mallet 1990, p.213
Price: Sold.
More pictures of objects 2012243 & 2012244 >>
Chine de commande - Armorial / Pseudo Armorial wares 1700-1800
Object 2011202
Saucer
China
c.1740
Height 21 mm (0.82 inch), diameter of rim 116 mm (4.57 inch), diameter of footring 68 mm (2.68 inch), weight 43 grams (1.52 ounce (oz.))
Saucer on footring, slightly everted rim. Decorated in various overglaze enamels and gold with a roundel enclosing the mirror monogram of possible the 'DOC' the Danske Ostindke Company within a rocaille mantling and below a flower wreath, the rim with a border of vine and flowers. The reverse is undecorated.
Much Chinese export porcelain made for the Dutch market has a pseudo-armorial character, the most notable and largest group being monogrammed porcelain. Monograms are initials, often finely painted in the shape of a mirror monogram or cipher. A mirror monogram is a design of a monogram where the letters are reversed to make mirror images to produce an ornamental form. The word cipher is more or less synonymous with mirror monogram the with the emphasis on encrypting text with a combination of symbolic letters in an entwined weaving of letters.
Monograms and ciphers are mainly personal as opposed to coats of arms that beside by individuals can also be borne by whole families and communities. Pseudo-armorials are those emblems and signs which only resemble a coat of arm by using heraldic components such as a shield shape and/or banners, spears, flying angels etc. that surround the monogram or cipher. (Kroes 2007, p.56)
For an identically shaped, sized and decorated teacup and saucer, please see:
The mirror monogram on this saucer is interesting, similar monograms can be found on Danish coins (Kronet) from 1699-1730 made during the reign of the Danish/Norwegian King Frederick IV (1671-1730). In the Christie's Amsterdam auction sale catalogue 14-16 February 2016, the monogram on the Buisman teacup and saucer (lot 1096) is described as 'DOD'. The pictures of the Danish coins (Kronet) can be found on danskmoent.dk. On this website the author states that the very similar monograms 'DOC' on these coins (Kronet) are the monogram of the Danske Ostindke Company.
'DOC' monogram of the Danske Ostindke Company.
Forside: Kronet double F4 monogram
Bagside: Kronet DOC monogram; 10 Kas under DOC
I 1729 gik det Danske Ostindiske Company bankerot og det var slut med DOC på mønterne. Den danske konge overtog kolonien.
Pictures and text courtesy: danskmoent.dk
Condition: A tiny firing flaw to the rim..
References:
Price: € 599 - $ 654 - £ 525
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Zhangzhou (Swatow) wares 1570-1650 - Jarlets
Object 2011208
Jarlet
(Southeast) China, Zhangzhou (Swatow)
1570-1650
Height 70 mm (2.76 inch), diameter 96 mm (3.78 inch), diameter of rim 46 mm (1.81 inch), diameter of footring 51 mm (2.01 inch), weight 321 grams (11.32 ounce (oz.))
Jarlet on footring with an angled shoulder wide mouth and a short straight upright neck. Crackled glaze. Decorated in underglaze blue with a chilong (sea dragon) alternating with a flower spray, around the shoulder a border with florets between scrolls alternating with a half flower head.
Porcelain factories in the South Chinese provinces of Fuijan and Guangdong produces goods for the oriental market such as Japan and what is now Indonesia. However, this porcelain is slightly coarser in its texture and decoration than the products destined for the Chinese domestic market and the European export market. This group was commonly and simply known as 'coarse porcelain', and later the name 'Swatow', came to be used. Nowadays it is referred to as Zhangzhou.
Only a limited number of collectors in The Netherlands showed interest in this kind of ceramic work. These collectors regarded it as fresh, decorative popular art that had remained free of Western influence. The largest collections in this domain were formed in the former Dutch East Indies and were later transported to the Netherlands.
To the Dutch East India Company, (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC) , this porcelain was not particularly appealing in commercial terms because there was little interest for it in Europe. Of course, the company did attempt to get a slice of the cake in the trade between South China and the Indonesian archipelago with varying degrees of success. (Source: Breekbaar Goed. Een eerbetoon aan Minke A. de Visser (1989-1966), exhibition held at the Groninger Museum, Groningen, 20 March 2015 - 15 March 2016)
These jarlets, supposedly made as containers for the export of oil and ointments in small quantities to consumers all over Southeast Asia, were mass-produced over centuries. As empties, they were part of every kitchen. With the passage of time, they became heirlooms and antiquities of small value. (Harrison 1979, p.81)
These jarlets were unearthed in large quantities particularly in Indonesia. These kind of jarlets were mass-produced over centuries and are very common in Southeast Asia where they, apart from being used as burial objects, were used for medicines, unguents and cosmetics. (Rinaldi 1989, pp.88-91)
Condition: Firing flaws to the body, the base and footring, a chip top the rim.
References:
Breekbaar Goed. Een eerbetoon aan Minke A. de Visser (1989-1966), exhibition held at the Groninger Museum, Groningen, 20 March 2015 - 15 March 2016
Price: € 299 - $ 325 - £ 264
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Chinese wares over-decorated in the West 1700-1800 - Dutch over-decorated Amsterdams Bont - House of Orange
Object 2012212
Bowl
China
c.1730, over-decorated in the Netherlands, Amsterdams Bont, c.1734 or later to commemorate the marriage in 1734 of Prince William IV of Orange-Nassau and Princess Anne, Princess Royal of England. Her diamond necklace was a wedding present from her husband.
Height 69 mm (2.72 inch), diameter of rim 151 mm (5.94 inch), diameter of footring 60 mm (2.36 inch), weight 265 grams (9.35 ounce (oz.))
Bowl on footring with steeply rounded sides and a straight underglaze brown-edged rim (jia mangkou). Carved anhua (secret) floral decoration. Decorated in underglaze blue with zig-zag lines pattern borders round the bottom and rim. On the base a single flower spray in a double concentric band. Over-decorated in iron-red, black, gold and other overglaze enamels, in the Netherlands, Amsterdams Bont, c.1743 with three fruiting orange trees on the middle tree a banner with the Dutch word vreede (peace), this middle tree is flanked by two head and shoulder portraits of William IV, Prince of Orange-Nassau (1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751), born Willem Karel Hendrik Friso and Anne of Hanover Princess Royal, and Princess of Orange. Prince William is wearing the badge and blue sash of the Order of the Garter to which he had been nominated on 12th June 1733, and a wig whose long flowing locks conceal his crooked back. Princess Anne is wearing the diamond necklace that was her wedding present. On the bottom four groups of flowering peonies. The central representation is surrounded by an x-pattern border and four single flower sprays alternating with small foliage on the inner wall. Round the inner rim an ornamental border.
Since the establishment of the United Provinces in 1579 powerful members of the Orange-Nassau family had governed as Stadholders in the various provinces. In the 17th century their status had been raised by two marriages into the English royal family; in 1641, William II, (1626-1650), son of Prince Frederick Henry, (1584-1647), married Mary Stuart, daughter of Charles I; in 1677, their son, William III, (1650-1702), married Mary Stuart, (1662-1695), daughter of James, Duke of York, Later King James II. In 1689 William III and Mary succeeded to the throne of England. They had no children and after William's death the title of Prince of Orange-Nassau passed to Johan Willem Friso, (1687-1711), Stadholder of the northern provinces of Friesland and Groningen. This was inherited by his son Willem Carel Hendrik Friso, Prince William IV of Orange-Nassau, (1711-1751), an intelligent and courageous man whose ambition was to gain the position of Stadholder over all Seven Provinces. In 1734 he married Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, (1709-1759), daughter of George II, Hanoverian King of England, an event commemorated on delftware and Chinese porcelain. Although this is the first time that Dutch decorators had used Chinese porcelain to commemorate members of the House of Orange, it was part of a continuing tradition dating back to William the Silent (1533-1584) in which Orange-Nassau coats of arms and portraits were impressed or painted on German stoneware and delftware both in the Dutch Republic and England. (Espir 2005, pp.161-162)
Willem IV was the first hereditary 'stadhouder' of the Netherlands. On 14th March 1734 Prince William IV of Orange-Nassau married Princess Anne, the Royal Princess and Princess of Orange, eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach in the French Chapel at St. James's Palace attended by the royal family and four thousand guests. William and Anne had five children. (Espir 2005, p.163)
The source of the portrait of Prince William was perhaps a painting in 1733 by Jacob Schalken (1683-1733) of William in noble profile facing left wearing the sash and badge of the Order of the Garter and holding a heavy staff of office in his right hand. But a similar portrait was painted by Philips van Dyk in 1734 which was copied in mezzotint in 1735 by J. Faber and engraved by Ph. Endlig. As for Princess Anne, in 1734, Philip Mercier painted two portraits of her in a low cut heavily bejewelled dress, probably her wedding dress, with jewels in her hair. On one she is in profile wearing the diamond necklace, copied in mezzotint by J. Faber, and on the other she is turning to the front, but without the necklace, copied by an unknown engraver. The half-turned image with the necklace appears to be a combination of the two portraits but may derive from an as yet unidentified painting. (Espir 2005, p.164)
A copperplate engraving by Thomas Jefferys (1749-11799) of Prince William IV of Orange- Nassau (1711-1751) and Princess Anne of Hannover (1709-1759), mid-18th century. (source: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Objectnumber RP-P-1906-4264)
For an identically, shaped, sized and over-decorated in the Netherlands, Amsterdams Bont, bowl, please see:
For similarly shaped, sized and over-decorated bowls, please see:
- Aziatische Ceramiek uit vijf eeuwen, (D.F. Lunsingh Scheurleer, exhibition catalogue of the J.M. van Diepen Collection, Fraeylemaborg, Slochteren 1977), p.105, cat. 312.
- La porcelaine des Compagnies des Indes a décor Occidental, (F. & N. Hervouët & Y. Bruneau, Flammarion - Pere Castor, Paris 1986), p.387, cat. 16.76.
- European Decoration on Oriental Porcelain 1700-1830, (H. Espir, Jorge Welsh Books, London, UK, 2005), pp.161-164, cat. 12.
- Have a Cup of Tea. Chinese Porcelain and Tea in North-West Germany, (Exhibition catalogue, Isensee Verlag, Oldenburg, 2015), p.133, cat. 123 / Made in China, Porzellan und Teekultur im Nordwesten, (Exhibition catalogue, Isensee Verlag, Oldenburg, 2015), p.167, cat. 123.
- The Helen Espir Collection of European Decorated Oriental Porcelain, auction catalogue Woolley & Wallis Salisbury, 12 November 2014, p.12, cat. 315.
Condition: A fring flaw and shallow chip to the footring and two hairlines to the rim.
References:
Lunsingh Scheurleer 1966, cat. 338
Lunsingh Scheurleer 1977, cat. 312
Espir 2005, pp.161-164 & cat. 12
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Objectnumber RP-P-1906-4264
Price: € 699 - $ 763 - £ 613
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Japanese Imari 1690-1800
Object 2012255
Covered bowl
Japan
1700-1720
Height with cover 95 mm (3.74 inch), height without cover 61 mm (2.40 inch), diameter 125 mm (4.92 inch), diameter of footring 56 mm (2.20 inch), weight with cover 337 grams (11.89 ounce (oz.)), weight cover 131 grams (4.62 ounce (oz.))
Covered bowl on footring. Straight sides, domed cover with strap handle. Imari, decorated with in underglaze blue, iron-red and gold. On the box three reserves filled with flowering peony and chrysanthemum plants and a fruiting pomegranate plant alternating with two flower heads on an underglaze blue ground with foliate sprays in gold. Round the footring a narrow border with a flower head between scrolls alternating with half flower heads between scrolls in gold on an underglaze blue ground. On the base a single concentric band in underglaze blue. The cover is decorated en suite. The strap handle is decorated in gold and iron-red with a single flower head on top.
Until around 1650, all porcelain imported to Europe comprised blue-and-whitewares. Inspired by Chinese porcelain, Japanese potters experimented with coloured enamels. The Dutch East India Company, (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC) focused on these new colourful wares as trade articles from the moment they were made. The decorations on this porcelain are frequently derived from Chinese examples. Imari decorations were among those that developed during this experimental phase.
Imari porcelain is named after the port Imari, from where porcelain was shipped to the Dutch Factory on Deshima Island in Nagasaki. Imari objects are usually decorated with exuberant and lively depictions. Besides underglaze blue, the other two dominant colours are iron-red and gold.
In 1680, Private traders replaced the Dutch East India Company, (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC) as the main trading partner in Japan. They focused on porcelain made in European shapes. The high point of this production occurred around 1700. Besides tableware, garnitures and ornamental dishes were produced, As with Chinese porcelain, enamelled objects and porcelain were very popular.
(source: Keramiek Museum Princessehof, Leeuwarden)
The shape, most likely, derived from a European (silver) model, it was used as a small tureen. Jörg describes a bowl with cover on three low feet with a matching saucer this may indicate that originally the covered box also might have had a matching saucer. (Jörg 2003/1, p.110, cat. 113)
The crackled glaze is caused by the unequal contraction of the body and the glaze during cooling in the kiln after firing. (Jörg & Van Campen 1997, p.235)
For similarly shaped covered bowls, please see;
- Ko-Imari from the collection of Oliver Impey, (Barry Davies Oriental Art, London, 1997), pp. 168-169, cat. 95.
- Fine & Curious: Japanese Export Porcelain in Dutch Collections, (C.J.A. Jörg, Hotei Publishing, Amsterdam, 2003), p.111, cat. 116.
Condition: Firing flaws to the cover and base and fine crazing to the glaze all caused during the firing process.
References:
Price: Sold.
Blue and White wares since 1722
Object 2012259
Tea caddy
China
1720-1730
Height with cover 114 mm (4.49 inch), height without cover 98 mm (3.86 inch), dimensions 86 mm (3.39 inch) x 55 mm (2.17 inch), diameter of mouthrim 23 mm (0.90 inch), weight with cover 276 grams (9.74 ounce (oz.)), weight cover 33 grams (1.16 ounce (oz.))
Tea caddy of rectangular form with canted corners, a flat shoulder with a short upright neck. The flat base is unglazed. The original cover is missing and replaced by silver mounts (marked). Decorated in underglaze blue. The shoulder rim is over-decorated in gold (Amsterdams Bont?). On the body a pagoda and shrubbery near a river running before a crenulated wall with a fortress and trees. The shoulder is decorated en suite. The silver mounts are marked with an unknown mark.
The scene of houses and shrubbery near a river running before a crenulated wall is unusual in Chinese Imari ware. This type of decoration, with the brick wall and the pagoda is often referred to as the 'Chinese wall' while others think it is a Chinese fortress within walls. (Gordon 1977, p.47)
Apparently the underglaze blue design with houses and shrubbery near a river running before a crenulated wall was popular at the time. In this comparison, between object 2012259 and sold object 2010567, we can clearly see the similarities in the underglaze blue and the Chinese Imari decoration.
The in gold on the over-decorated shoulder rim has also been applied to spots where the glaze had already been flaked off probably due to use. This proves that the over-decorating must have been done at a later time. A previous owner might have decided to add this over-decoration himself or have it added by a workshop specialised in Amsterdams Bont over-decoration at that time.
For identically, in Chinese Imari decorated objects, please see:
- Collecting Chinese Export Porcelain, (E. Gordon, Universe Books, New York, 1977), p. 47, cat 31.
- Porzellan aus China und Japan. Die Porzellangalerie der Landgrafen von Hessen-Kassel, (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Kassel, Berlin 1990), p.355, cat. 138.
Condition: Some shallow glaze rough spots to the edges of the shoulder and a shallow chip to a corner of the foot.
References:
Price: Sold.
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