Provenance
Jorge Welsh Works of Art Lisbon/London, with their label to the base.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above in 2006 during TEFAF Maastricht, according to the owner's inventory notes and accompanied by their documentation folder. (see added scans)
Exhibited and illustrated:
Exhibited on loan at Kunsthal Sint-Pietersabdij, Ghent, Belgium for their exhibition of 'De Chinese Verleiding - Chinese Exportkunst van de 16e tot de 19e eeuw', 20 November 2009 - 25 April 2010, and illustrated in the eponymous publication by Nicole De Bisschop, p. 42, no. 2.24. (see added scans)
Jorge Welsh Works of Art, Lisbon/London, illustrated in their 2016 publication 'Tankards and Mugs - Drinking from Chinese Export Porcelain', p. 61, fig. 7B.
Description
The tankard is sturdily potted with a compressed pear-shaped body rising from a tall foot to a broad, slightly tapering neck, fitted with a loop handle. It is painted in underglaze blue with a continuous figural scene depicting two scholars in conversation within a garden setting beside a pavilion, framed by a willow tree and ornamental rocks. The neck is encircled by a broad band of scrolling floral motifs between double line borders, above a further scroll border below the rim. The vessel is fitted with later Dutch silver mounts comprising a hinged domed cover with a shell-shaped thumbpiece. The cover is engraved with scrolling floral decoration that echoes the porcelain ornament beneath the rim.
The form derives directly from contemporary European tankards produced in wood, stoneware and metal, but examples such as the present one were made in Jingdezhen specifically for the Dutch export market during the Transitional period. Combining a distinctly European shape with Chinese porcelain and decoration, these tankards illustrate the close commercial relationship between China and the Dutch East India Company in the first half of the seventeenth century. The continuous narrative scene, replacing the compartmentalised decoration of earlier kraak wares, is characteristic of Transitional porcelain and reflects the increasing influence of Chinese literati painting on export ceramics.
Reference:
- A closely related example, described as a beer jug, is in the Groninger Museum, The Netherlands, object no. 1982.0002 (link) and object no. 1986.0416 for another example of similar shape. (link)
Literature:
C. Jörg, Oriental Art magazine, Vol. XLVIII, no. 5, 2002-03, 'Treasures of the Dutch Trade in Chinese Porcelain', p. 22, fig. 6.
Lot 79
Transitional period
L.: 17,6 cm - H.: 18 cm
Incl. mount
Estimation
€ 2.500,00 – € 5.000,00
Provenance
Jorge Welsh Works of Art Lisbon/London, with their label to the base.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above in 2006 during TEFAF Maastricht, according to the owner's inventory notes and accompanied by their documentation folder. (see added scans)
Exhibited and illustrated:
Exhibited on loan at Kunsthal Sint-Pietersabdij, Ghent, Belgium for their exhibition of 'De Chinese Verleiding - Chinese Exportkunst van de 16e tot de 19e eeuw', 20 November 2009 - 25 April 2010, and illustrated in the eponymous publication by Nicole De Bisschop, p. 42, no. 2.24. (see added scans)
Jorge Welsh Works of Art, Lisbon/London, illustrated in their 2016 publication 'Tankards and Mugs - Drinking from Chinese Export Porcelain', p. 61, fig. 7B.