Page 24 - Ming Porcelain Primer
P. 24
79–80 TWO DISHES
(from left to right)
79 DISH These two dishes are characteristic for Kraak ware. The one on the left has
the typical panelled border, with alternative panels filled with auspicious
Jingdezhen porcelain, decorated symbols and the ‘sunflower’ motif, which reverts to its former manifestation
in underglaze blue of a peach branch. They are divided by narrow panels filled with beaded
H 5.0 cm, Dia. 31.0 cm pendants.
Ming dynasty, Wanli (1573–1620) reign
Inv.-No. GRV 1929-307 The dish on the left has a design in a rich, shaded blue. The centre
PROVENANCE: Donated by the heirs is decorated with two fishermen on a boat approaching a wild cliff; to the
of R. Verbeek, found in Indonesia right of them, an old pine tree is growing from a rock. The backs of both
dishes have usual large panels with rounded shapes and narrow panels;
80 DISH the ones on the large dish on the right are more elaborate, the large
medailllions filled with flowers and jewels, the narrow ones with stylized
Jingdezhen porcelain, decorated lingzhi fungus.
in underglaze blue
H 9.0 cm, Dia. 46.5 cm The right-hand dish is of fine quality and well-painted. Its border has
Ming dynasty, Wanli (1573–1620) reign nine large ogival panels, filled with flowers, such as chrysanthemums and
Inv.-No. NO 874, on loan from the OKS peonies. Between them are panels filled with peach sprays, and the nar-
PROVENANCE: Acquired by Nanne row panels in between are likewise filled with beaded pendants. The cen-
Ottema from Rinia van Nauta in 1930 tre is painted with an unusual motif: At the shore of a river an old gentle-
man is sitting on a low stool. His long gown with wide sleeves, his beard
and his tied-back long hair on an otherwise balding head indicate that he
is a hermit. Beside him, on a stone table, are books and a small vase with
lingzhi, the fungus of immortality. In his left hand he holds castanets or
jade clappers, thus associating him with Cao Guoji, one of the baxian, the
Eight Immortals of Taoism, whose attributes and magic weapons include
these very accoutrements.
Both the fishermen and the hermit represented the ideals of the
educated Chinese scholar – officials of a life not spent with Confucian
duties in an office but close to nature and with the cosmic forces.
These motifs, so dear to Chinese tradition, would not be appreciated
by the Western buyers, which were attracted only by the decorative and
luxury aspects of fine Kraak.
Ref.: The motif of the old gentleman drinking and watching a chrysanthemum ‘at the East gate’ could be
associated with the poet Tao Qian (Tao Yuanming, 365–427), who had written a famous poem about it.
For this motif and the poem: Ströber 2011, p. 124. A similar motif is illustrated in Canepa 2008, pp. 272–
274, no. 49. For the evolution of the peach into the so-called ‘sunflower’ motif: Rinaldi 1989, p. 102, pl. 91.
198
