Page 41 - Export Porcelain and Globakization- GOOD READ

appreciation in China mainly for the notion that is has been customized to the Western
taste. The porcelain on demand or “chine-de-command” still dominates the perception
of many Chinese collectors and historians on Chinese export porcelain. Already the
Portuguese started to influence Chinese potters in the 16th century by asking for
specific forms and shapes which did not exist in China or to provide samples of “coat
of arms” or Western paintings and copper engravings in order to decorate the ceramics
according to their taste. The same customization also took place for Muslim clients in
the Ottoman Sultanate or Persia or for Southeast Asian clients in the Malayan
Archipelago. However, the degree of customization is by far overstated. In fact, only a
very small percentage of items reflect purely Western taste. Armorial porcelain (see
plate 112), chine-de-command with Christian religious scenes or Western landscape or
Baroque rim decoration is an exception and has been mainly facilitated through
private traders – mostly staff of the East India companies using their allotment of
private trading items. Western style decoration is rather unusual. Also in Europe the
perception has been misled because many publications on export porcelain in the
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1960 and 70s have been mainly devoted to the Western style decoration . Also many
museum collections in Europe do not really have a representative collection of export
porcelain. If we analyze the figures provided by the East India companies, we see that
probably only one or two percent has been porcelain on demand in terms of the
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decoration . The decoration of Chinese export porcelain follows until the reign of
Emperor Yongzhen in the 1730s Chinese design principles – few exceptions as
mentioned were some blue and white Ming porcelains for the Portuguese or items
decorated with the “VOC” emblem for the Dutch. Whether Famille Verte items were
exported to Europe (as shown in the collection of Dresden) or produced for Chinese
costumers (as in the Imperial Palace collection) can hardly be distinguished. If we talk
about customization in this first half of the porcelain trading period, then we have to
focus rather on the forms and shapes than on the decoration.
Indeed, probably right from the beginning, porcelain shapes have reflected the
potential use. This is true for all export porcelain. In China bowls and the small plate
are the standard table ware. Muslim costumers of the Chinese Yuan dynasty potters
however asked for huge dishes – for decoration and for sharing food. The same
applied to the Dutch: The blue and white Kraak porcelain dishes are big (from 20 to
50 cm diameter) in comparison to what has been used in China. Also flattened rims
were unknown in China. However, the decoration (see plate 44) is not at all European.
During the main Canton-system period of 1750 to 1800 the shapes of the exported
products followed definitely the Western eating and drinking habits: cups with
handles, coffeepots, soup plates, meat platters, saucer boats, salt cellars, tureens, milk
jars and sugar boxes have been on the purchase list of the supercargoes.

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