Page 19 - Chinese Porcelain in Hambsburg Spain, Early Collections and Trade, Cinta Krahe

The Plaza de Oriente: This sits directly in front of the Royal Palace. The first shard
recovered during excavations here was from a Jingdezhen kraak dish decorated with a
ducks-in-a-pond motif (fig. 123), a decoration that featured lotuses and aquatic plants
and was used on dishes at the beginning of the seventeenth century, during the reign
of the Wanli Emperor (1572–1620), a contemporary of both Philip II (1527–98) and

123. Shard of a blue-and-white dish (top and bottom views). Jingdezhen, c. 1600, Wanli reign
(1573–1620). Museo Arqueológico Regional de la Comunidad de Madrid, Alcalá de Henares.

124. Blue-and-white dish. Jingdezhen, Wanli reign (1573–1620). D: 21 cm, H: 3 cm. Fonda-
tion Custodia, Collection Frits Lugt, Paris.

Examining the Evidence 221