Page 65 - Mounted Oriental Porcelain, The Getty Museum

9. BOWL AND STAND

THE PORCELAIN: Japanese (Imari), early eighteenth century
THE GILT-BRONZE MOUNTS: French (Paris), circa 1740
HEIGHT: 7% in. (18.7 cm); DIAMETER: 7% in. (19.7 cm)
74.01.28

DESCRIPTION MARKS None.
The deep circular bowl has a flared lip and is sup-
ported by three gilt-bronze dolphins on a three-legged COMMENTARY
stand of porcelain, also mounted with gilt bronze. The An unmounted Japanese Imari stand, of the same
bowl is painted inside and out with underglaze blue and form and decoration but supporting a teapot, was sold
enameled with iron red and gilt, with floral lambrequin at auction in Holland in 1981. 2
panels alternately painted with deep blue grounds. The The bowl was originally intended for food and
center of the interior of the bowl is painted with an would have had a shallow domed lid to be used as an
unidentified and fanciful European coat of arms (fig. 9A) l eating dish. A large dish with similar decoration and the
and surrounded by a composite bird and a foliate scroll same coat of arms is in the Residenzmuseum, Munich. 3
with a plain thin molding of gilt bronze. The foot of the
bowl is set in a similar molding which is clasped at three PUBLICATIONS
equidistant points by the tails of scaly dolphins whose Lunsingh Scheurleer 1980, p. 406, no. 451; Wat-
heads rest upon the flat rim of the stand. The tripod stand son 1980, p. 33, no. 9; Bremer-David et al. 1993,
is decorated with iron red and the deeper gray-blue p. 152, no. 254.
typical of the period, with loose sprays of flowers. There
are pierced panels in the shaped aprons between the EXHIBITIONS
cabriole legs. The legs are overlaid with gilt-bronze foot Chinese Porcelains in European Mounts, The Chi-
mounts of scrolling and floral character chased above nese Institute in America, New York, 1980, no. 9.
the knees with cabochons. The three feet are linked by a
tripartite stretcher of scrolling and foliate form, sur- PROVENANCE
mounted at the junction by a miniature vase. Anne Beddard, sold Sotheby Parke Bernet, London,
June 15, 1973, lot 36; acquired by the J. Paul Getty
Museum from Frank Partridge Ltd., London, in 1974.

NOTES
1. The coat of arms may loosely be described as: argent,
2 chevronels gules and or between 3 eagles or 2 counter-
displayed and a bezant and i, in chief tenne 3 unidenti-
fied objects or (a mill iron? below 2 shackles?) encircled
by a laurel wreath and surmounted by a pelican (?). As
the coat of arms is painted with a certain amount of
heraldic license, the orange-red is interpreted as red, and
the white field as silver. I am grateful to Consuelo Wager
Dutschke for reading the heraldry.
2. Sotheby's, Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, September 14-22,
1981, no. 2284, illus.
3. Res. Mu. KVb4ii.
FIG. ^A. Detail of the interior of the bowl, showing the
coat of arms.

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