Page 15 - Zhangzhou Or Swatow The Collection of Zhangzhou Ware at the Princessehof Museum, Leeuwarden, Netherlands

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Typology: Shapes and Glazes of Zhangzhou Ware

Shapes of Zhangzhou Ware

Of the more than 150 pieces of the Zhangzhou type preserved in the Princessehof collection most of them are
large dishes with a diameter of around 40 cm. There are a few jars of around 35 – 40 cm high, a couple of
small jarlets, and some smaller dishes and bowls.

There was, however, a much wider repertoire of shapes of Zhangzhou wares. It seems, that Reinier Dirk
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Verbeek (1841-1926), who collected Zhangzhou ware on Sumatra in the beginning of the 20 century and gave
his collection to the Princessehof Museum, focused on accumulating large dishes. One reason might be that
they were the easiest available, another reason his theory on dating Chinese ceramics by using his collection of
Zhangzhou dishes (see A 3).

The large dishes come in two shapes – one with an everted rim, and the other with a straight rim, the so-called
saucer- shape. Both types have a thick and often unevenly cut footring which tends to slant inward. It is not
glazed or sometimes hastily glazed.

A second group are bowls, again in different shapes, with an everted rim or in the shape of a klapmuts, the
latter part of the repertoire of Kraak ware made in Jingdezhen for the Dutch market.

The Zhangzhou kilns produced different sizes of vases, beakers shaped like an Albarello Jar and flower pots.

Zhangzhou jars, ca. 35-40 cm high, were utilitarian vessels. They were made in two parts and luted together in
the middle. Most of them have on the shoulder four grooved handles for a cord to run through to facilitate
transport.

Small jarlets have always been popular in Southeast Asia for being used as burial objects. They were imported
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already during the Yuan (1279-1368) and the early and middle Ming dynasty of the 15 and 16 century. They
have a globular body and a small mouth.
A popular type were round covered boxes in many shapes and sizes.

The collection of Zhangzhou ware at the Princessehof Museum, the main body consisting of large dishes, is
therefore less a reference collection for a wide variety of shapes, but of decorative designs and techniques.

Ref.: Harrisson 1979; Tan 2007; Stroeber 2013

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