Page 79 - For the Love of Porcelain

An ‘Imperial’ Dish with Among the first pieces eva Ströber chose for inclusion in the ming porcelain exhibition she curated

a Minyao Decoration in 2013 in the Princessehof National museum of Ceramics were a few objects possibly made for the

imperial court.
Sebastiaan ostkamp

The story behind these objects was
unravelled by placing them in the context of
the time and of the court and its immediate
circle. Two of these imperial pieces are a vase
with a three-clawed dragon and a dish with
an anhua decoration. 1 Eva Ströber dated
1 both to the reign of Yongle (r. 1402–24), the
Large dish, Jingdezhen, third Ming emperor, and thus relatively early
Ming dynasty, Jiajing in the Ming dynasty. However, imperial
period (1522 - 66), marks that would confirm the dates and
porcelain, anhua their use by the court are lacking on these
decoration under a objects. During this period the imperial
decoration in overglaze kilns in Jingdezhen had a monopoly on
red and green, Ø 39 cm, manufacturing porcelain for the court and
private collection all the kilns involved strove to manufacture
the finest quality. However, this is not to say a mark. However, the dragon’s claws make 2
that they only produced top-quality wares, it clear that the vase was never intended Large vase, Jingdezhen,
or that everything was intended for the for the emperor or his immediate circle. Ming dynasty, Yongle
emperor. Dragons on porcelain reserved for the period (1403 - 24),
emperor had five claws, whereas this dragon porcelain, decorated in
Two pieces of imperial porcelain from only has three. However, it is possible that underglaze blue,
the Princessehof collection the vase was intended for the wider imperial h. 43 cm, collection
The quality of the porcelain and the household. The warped neck, an obvious and photo: Princessehof
decoration of a dragon on this vase suggest firing error, means that this piece should be National Museum of
that it was fired in the imperial kilns (fig. labelled as a ‘B-choice’. But it is important Ceramics, Leeuwarden,
2
2). Excavations in the vicinity of these kilns to remember that during the period this inv. no. OKS 1109,
in Jingdezhen have revealed that not all vase was made, it was still quite difficult for on loan from the Ottema
the pieces made there were provided with potters to fire such a large object. There are Kingma Foundation

74 I vormen uit vuur vormen uit vuur I 75