Page 86 - Kraak Porcelain, Jorge Welsh

Fig. Fig.

Fig. Fig.

tin-glazed earthenware pieces with kraak designs bear square marks that imitate Chinese
seal marks, which are referred to as ‘tassel’ marks. Kraak Persian imitations were of such
fine quality that almost every year from to , the Dutch exported about , piec-
es from Gamron to Batavia that were then traded in Southeast Asia.
Portugal
In Portugal, the first European country to import kraak porcelain, tin-glazed earthenware
imitations appear to have been manufactured as early as the s. The Portuguese tin-
glazed earthenware made in the th century is believed to have been made in kilns near or
in Lisbon. These were mainly dishes and a few closed forms including pear-shaped bottles
and jars of guan-type. These imitations were mostly painted in cobalt blue, though from