Page 23 - For the Love of Porcelain

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Silver beaker,
Schoonhoven,
Evert van Capellen,
between 1637 and 1652,
h. 17.3 cm,
Zilvermuseum,
Schoonhoven,
inv. no. 10194,
Rob Glastra Fotograie,
Schoonhoven

5 regular trade with southern China was
Silver beaker, envisaged, but for porcelain it took almost
Middelburg, anonymous another ten years before this could be
silversmith, circa 1679, realised. In 1633 an assortment of Chinese 6
from J. de Bree, Zeeuws porcelain had sold well in the Netherlands Willem Claesz Heda
Zilver, Schiedam 1978, and in 1634 the governor-general in Batavia (1594–1680/2), Still life
ig. 146, measurements urged merchants on Taiwan to send more of with silver beaker and
and present location the same types, preferably decorated with chaos and civil war, prohibiting the regular watch, 1638, oil on
unknown ‘Chinese figures’. 3 Furthermore, this letter trade in export porcelain. panel, 40 x 29.5 cm,
mentioned shapes that were new in the present location
Chinese assortment such as ewers, openwork Beakers unknown, courtesy Bijl
porcelain, plates with flat rims and beakers As mentioned above, at the beginning of Van Urk Galleries,
(drinck beeckers). 4 Taken together, this is the surge of the Taiwanese porcelain trade, Alkmaar
a strong indication that the documents beakers were specified as desirable objects to
refer to Transitional porcelain. This type, sell in the Netherlands. Indeed, they often hebt, daer is de blauwe verwe deftig ende wel Chinese Transitional beakers are not
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developed by the Chinese producers as a figure in documents of subsequent years. opgeleijt’). Their cost price varied from just particularly rare and are included in several
reaction to diminishing imperial orders, is In 1639, for instance, a variety of 1552 over half a florin to almost 3 florins apiece. 7 museum collections. 11 Their sizes vary,
very different from the Kraak porcelain that beakers were sent from Taiwan to Batavia. In 1640, 182 beakers were shipped, while as does the quality of their decorations.
was so widespread in the preceding decades. Of these, 99 are mentioned as ‘large, of 700 beakers were ordered in 1643 from They all have a glazed base, stand on a low
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It is well potted, has an impeccable glaze and two kinds’, and 1113 came in ‘three sizes’. the Chinese middleman Jousit; part of this footring and have a body that gradually
the Chinese-style decorations in underglaze They most likely were produced for an order was delivered to Taiwan and shipped widens to the everted rim. And besides the
blue cover the surface. Transitional porcelain order from the directors, the Heren XVII, to Batavia the same year. 8 In 1645, when beaker under discussion here, all of them are
lent itself particularly well for closed shapes in Amsterdam, who in 1638 had demanded shipments had stagnated, Zeelandia Castle painted with Chinese figures and scenery. It
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like vases and flasks, but also for vessels ‘200 large and small beakers, all without still had 334 beakers in stock. is not difficult to identify the models that
in European shapes such as beer mugs, covers, and of finer quality than the model Documents say less about the desired were used when ordering porcelain beakers:
candlesticks, mustard pots, salt cellars, sent’. For this, the directors had apparently decorations, but the general instructions they were obviously pewter or silver beakers,
etc. The VOC was active in ordering this based themselves on a preceding shipment were clear: porcelain should be painted well items widely used in Dutch society. However,
‘modern’ and profitable porcelain until of beakers that was painted very nicely (‘de with Chinese figures and not with ‘Dutch here we encounter one of the problems that
1647, when the fall of the Ming resulted in beekers en de bloemkannen die Ued gesonden flowerwork’. 10 arise if we state that a metal beaker served

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