Page 56 - For the Love of Porcelain

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Engraved title page
of O.D. Dapper,
Historische beschryving
der stadt Amsterdam
(…), Amsterdam,
1663, Rijksmuseum,
Amsterdam (KOG),
inv. no. OF 6

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1 Engraved title page of F.
Claes Jansz. Visscher II, von Zesen, Beschreibung
Proile of Amsterdam from der Stadt Amsterdam
the River IJ, 1611, (…), Amsterdam,
etching and engraving, 1664, Rijksmuseum
25.6 x 115.4 cm, Amsterdam,
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, inv. no. 330 E 24
inv. no. RP-P-AO-20-22

engraving we can indeed recognise some
porcelain. To the left of the virgin, the
merchants from Asia approach and we see
a pear-shaped bottle and three bowls, which
are likely to be porcelain. What catches the
eye, however, is the box with pearls and the
other difficult-to-identify precious items the
merchant is proffering. Apparently, this was
the main and most important merchandise.
However, the porcelain was excluded from
the tympanum on the Town Hall. The focus
2 was no longer on specific commodities from
Detail of ig. 1 Asia, but on objects that represented Asia in
a metaphorical way. Evidently, porcelain was
description of Amsterdam: Olfert Dapper not the first choice for this representation.
(1663), Philipp von Zesen (1664), and Remarkably, though, there is a child depicted
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Tobias van Domselaer (1665) (fig. 3–6). In right in front of Asia, holding a small box,
addition, a collection of prints of the Town which is slightly opened as if to present
Hall’s decorations was published by Jacob the contents which, unfortunately, remain
van Campen and Jacob Vennekool in 1661 invisible. It is an echo of the box held by the
(figs. 7 and 8). All the title pages depict the Asian merchant in Visscher’s engraving, but
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same programme: the city maiden receiving also, as Kolfin observed, of the Three Kings,
gifts from the continents. who are frequently depicted offering their Zesen’s title page, Asia kneels down in the the Three Kings. But there is no sign of
incense, gold and myrrh in such boxes. foreground on the left (fig. 4). The headpiece porcelain. This is different in Domselaer’s
Porcelain and the virgin of Amsterdam is executed according to Ripa’s specifications, title print (fig. 5). The continents are
As a lover of porcelain, I am obviously The title pages clearly show that the but it is striking that there is another open represented here as swimming putti. On the
interested in the question: where is the iconographic regulations for the Town Hall, box directly behind Asia. Again, this can be far right is Asia with an incense burner in the
porcelain? Does porcelain play a part in which were essentially Ripa’s, were decisive regarded as an echo of Visscher’s depiction left hand, just as Ripa would have wanted
this game of representation? In Visscher’s for how the city was represented. On Von of Asian merchandise, and of the gifts of it, but with a jar in the right hand, which

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