Page 68 - Kraak Porcelain, Jorge Welsh

48 Bowl or klapmuts

Ming dynasty, Wanli period
( - ), ca. -
Chinese porcelain decorated
in underglaze cobalt blue
Height: . cm;
diameter: . cm

A small, thinly potted bowl with shallow rounded sides, decoration usually consists of four bracket-lobed panels
a flat up-turned rim with a bracket-lobed edge and
low, v-shaped foot ring. It is painted in deep shades filled with alternating peach, and flower sprays, and
of cobalt blue, darkening in some areas to a blackish-
blue, beneath a brilliant blue-tinged glaze. The central auspicious symbols surmounted by peach and flower
medallion is delicately painted with Nantimitolo holding
a ring in his right hand while confronting a four-clawed panels reserved on various diaper grounds.
dragon. The well and rim are divided into four wide
and narrow radiating panels outlined in blue. The The central scene shown on this bowl is rarely found
wide panels are faintly moulded with bracket-lobed
panels, each alternately enclosing single peach sprays in kraak porcelain wares. It depicts one of the eighteen
and flower sprays, and surmounted by peach and
flower spray panels reserved on blue swastika-diaper Lohans, Nantimitolo, known as the Taming Dragon
grounds. The narrow panels are moulded in vertical
bands and decorated with tied ribbons pending from Lohan, who bravely subdued a ferocious dragon guard
ruyi-heads. The underside of the cavetto is decorated
in two contrasting shades of cobalt blue with four oval and restored the Buddhist sutras back to earth. His
panels enclosing jewels and four dots, each separated
by a narrow radiating panel painted with thick lines. Sanskrit name, Nantimitolo, means happy (nanti) and
The underside of the rim is decorated with two stylized
flower heads with long scrolling leaves. The recessed friend (mitolo) or ‘happy friend’. In Buddhism, the Arhat
base is marked by spiral and radiating ribbed lines and is
fully glazed. (translated into Chinese as Lohan) is one who has

For a discussion on this type of bowl, traditionally followed the Eightfold Path and achieved deliverance
referred to as klapmuts, see entry no. . Bowls, or
klapmuts, with this particular cavetto and rim decoration from earthly existence.
range from about to cm in diameter. Their
A comparable bowl or klapmutsen of about this

size, but with a di erent figural motif on the central

medallion is found in the in the Butler Family Collection

in England. Another adorned with Ottoman jewelled

metal mounts is in the Topkapi Saray Museum in

Istanbul (inv. no. / ). A slightly larger example

( . cm diam.) decorated with a naturalistic scene

depicting a grasshopper among plants and rocks is

in the British Museum in London (inv. no. .-

. ). Another comparison of a large size ( . cm

diam.) decorated with a naturalistic bird scene and with

comparable cavetto and rim borders is in the Groninger

Museum in Groningen (inv. no. -groen ). The

panels on the cavetto, however, are more oval than

bracket-lobed.