Page 98 - Mounted Oriental Porcelain, The Getty Museum

17- INKSTAND

THE PORCELAIN: Chinese (Kangxi), from Dehua, early eighteenth century
THE GILT-BRONZE MOUNTS: French (Paris), circa 1750
HEIGHT: 8 in. (20.3 cm); WIDTH: i ft., 2, in. (35.6 cm); DEPTH: loVi in. (2,6.7 cm )
76.01.12

DESCRIPTION COMMENTARY
The wooden stand is French, lacquered in red and The wine cup on the left has been broken and
gold, supporting bowls and figures of Chinese porcelain; restored. The central wine cup has failed in the kiln; it is
the whole is mounted with gilt bronze. discolored and crackled. The cups are of unusual form
The tray, of irregular trapezoidal shape, is framed and were probably made for export.
in a scrolled and foliate border of gilt bronze. It is sup- A number of similar inkstands are known. One
ported at each of the four cardinal points by a pierced with some similar mounts and a similar japanned base
lyre-shaped foot resting on two C-scrolls flanking a was sold from the collection of Mrs. Anna Thompson
1
cabochon. Dodge in 1971. Another, also with a red-japanned sup-
The surface of the tray is lacquered with a basket port and similar mounts but with blue-and-white cups,
of flowers in dark brown and gold on a red ground. On was sold in Paris in I977. 2
it rest three white porcelain wine cups, symmetrically A third example—-with a framing mount to the
arranged, each held in position by three leafy sprays of vernis stand of the same model, with an arrangement of
gilt bronze. The cups are molded as open magnolia flow- vertical leaves forming the support for the three white
ers, with leafy stalks, a butterfly, and another flying in- porcelain "cornet" cups, and with a two-branch cande-
sect in low relief. The outer cups hold the inkwell (left) labrum carrying bobeches and leafy drip pans, all of the
and the sand caster (right); pierced mounts of leaves same model—was sold at auction in 1996. 3
support their metal fittings. The central cup has no inte- These inkstands were probably made in the same
rior fittings and was probably intended to hold a sponge. fondeur's workshop and perhaps supplied by the same
At the rear is a candelabrum of two lights of foliate form marchand-mercier.
springing from the branches of a gilt-bronze tree. The Lazare Duvaux sold, on December 19, 1749, to:
drip pans are in the form of corollas of leaves. The can- "M. BROCHANT, correcteur des comptes: Une ecritoire
delabrum rises behind a group of three white porcelain de trois cornets de porcelaine blanche sur un plateau
figures of a monk and a court lady holding a fan, lean- verni. 60 livres." 4
ing on the shoulder of her maid (fig. i7A). They stand The 1770 inventory of a M. Portailis mentions: "Un
on a rectangular white porcelain base that is supported ecritoire a trois potelets de porcelaine blanche sous une
on two gilt-bronze feet of scrolled shell form at the front branche de cuivre antique avec une figure de porcelaine
and by a foliate mount below the tree at the rear. de Saxe le tout applique sur un plateau de lac."

MARKS None.

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