Page 264 - Chinese and japanese porcelain silk and lacquer Canepa

monastery in Lisbon, built between 1502 and 1580. The branching tree motif
827
enclosed by a wreath of scrolls on the centre interior of each bowl may also derive from
a European source. Shulsky has noted that a similar motif is found on the reverse of
an Italian struck silver medal dating to 1516 (Fig. 3.4.1.1.9), and that a medal or coin
of this type could have been taken by the Italian merchants that went to Asia in the
early sixteemth century, some of them in the service of the Portuguese. However,
828
two dishes in the Topkapi Saray and another in the Victoria and Albert Museum, all
bearing Jiajing reign marks, are decorated with a similar central motif. 829
In addition there are also a small number of blue-and-white ewers of Middle
Eastern metal form and bottle vases decorated with a complex motif that resembles a
Renaissance bronze fountain, known as the ‘magic fountain’ (Fig. 3.4.1.1.10). The
830
fountain has monster-head spouts from which water pours, and its base is usually
resting on a recumbent elephant on one side and a dappled horse on the other, which
are sometimes replaced by a qilin. An ewer in the Victoria and Albert Museum
shows only the fountain, omitting the animals (Fig. 3.4.1.1.11). The source of this
831
fountain motif is still unknown. It is likely, as suggested by Pomper, that it was
832
based on a drawing or print depicting a European fountain, such as that depicted with
a unicorn and other animals resting at its base in a South Netherlandish tapestry made
in c.1495–1505 (Fig. 3.4.1.1.12). Pinto de Matos has noted that the arrangement
833
of the motif, isolated on opposite sides of either an ewer or bottle, is similar to that
seen on Jiajing porcelain ewers made to order for the Portuguese market, such as
the example with the coat of arms attributed to Antonio Peixoto discussed above
(Fig. 3.4.1.1.6). The motif has been associated with Christian iconography, and it
834
has been suggested that the pieces with this motif were made to order for the Jesuits
in China. However, the depiction of a qilin, one of the four mythical animals
835
of the Four Divine Creatures (siling), is purely Chinese. The fact that the qilin is
most auspicious (perfect goodwill, benevolence, gentleness and integrity) and that
836
some of the porcelain pieces bear auspicious marks, such as the ewer in the Victoria
Opposite page and Albert Museum illustrated here marked with wanfu youtong (may all happiness
Fig. 3.4.1.1.10 Blue-and-white vase
Jingdezhen kilns, Jiangxi province gather here), suggests that the Jingdezhen porcelain painters regarded such pieces as
Ming dynasty, Jiajing reign (1522–1566) No. 24, 2007, pp. 6–19. The shape of the bowls in the auspicious. Visual sources attest to the presence of this type of ‘magic fountain’ ewer
837
Museum Duca di Martina and the Museu Regional
Height: 30.2cm
will be discussed in section 3.4.1.2 of this Chapter. in Europe in the seventeenth century. One example, together with a large porcelain
British Museum, London (museum no. PDF.689)
821 For a discussion on various hypothesis regarding the
decoration of these bowls, see Catherina, 1976, pp. dish similar to the example with English silver-gilt mounts of c.1585 discussed earlier
Fig. 3.4.1.1.11 Blue-and-white ewer 213–214; and Jin and Wu 2007, pp. 14–15. (Fig. 3.2.2.6a and b), both embellished with gilt metal mounts, appear depicted
Jingdezhen kilns, Jiangxi province 822 Antonio Peixoto, together with his business partners
Ming dynasty, Jiajing reign (1522–1566) Antonio da Mota and Francisco Zeimoto, sailed in a in a still life painting by the Dutch artist Wilhelm Kalf (1619–1693) of c.1660
junk laden with hides and other goods. These ewers
Height: 30cm
are found in the Fundação Medeiros e Almeida, (Fig. 3.4.1.1.13). An ewer with similar decoration is in a private collection in Peru,
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Lisbon and the Victoria and Albert Museum
(museum no. C.105-1928) (illustrated here). Published in Pinto de Matos, but it is not public information how it was acquired. This example may indicate that
1999, pp. 152–53, no. 10; Clunas, 1987, fig. 12; Kerr, such pieces were imported into the New World sometime after the trans-Pacific trade
2004, p. 225, no. 173; and Liefkes and Young, 2008,
838
Fig. 3.4.1.1.12 The Hunt of the Unicorn pp. 68–69. The Victoria and Albert example was route from Manila was established in 1573. Nine ewers and one other decorated
included in the exhibition Passion for Porcelain:
Wool wrap with wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts in overglaze enamels in the Topkapi Saray, together with a blue-and-white example
Ceramic Masterpieces from the British Museum and
Southern Netherlands
Victoria and Albert Museum, held at the National formerly in the Ardebil Shrine, show that porcelain with this motif was also exported
Late-fifteenth/early sixteenth century Museum of China, Beijing from June 2012 to
Dimensions: 368.3cm x 378.5cm January 2013. to the Middle East. The fact that two of the ewers bear Jiajing reign marks and are
839
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 823 Also consider the ‘magic fountain’ ewers in the of the period further demonstrates that porcelain with an imperial reign mark was not
(acc. no. 37.80.2) Topkapi Saray and the Ardebil Shrine, and the bottle
with the cross motif also from Ardebil, discussed only made for the court, but in some occasions, also for export. One cannot fail to
840
earlier in this Chapter.
Fig. 3.4.1.1.13 Still Life with Ewer and Basin,
824 One of the bowls is found in the Topkapi Saray, wonder if the Jingdezhen painters found this European motif exotic and thus chose it
Fruit, Nautilus Cup and Other Objects the other is in the possession of the dealer S. & F.
Oil on canvas, 111cm x 84cm Aichele, Stuttgart. I am greately indebted to Frieder to decorate porcelain made for the court of emperor Jiajing.
Wilhelm Kalf (1619–1693), c.1660 Aichele for providing me with images of the bowl The Zhengde and Jiajing porcelains discussed thus far would have been ordered
Museum Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid to include in this doctoral dissertation. For images
and discussion on these bowls, see Krahl and via the Chinese junk traders that frequented Malacca or Shangchuan and acted as
(inv. no. 204 1981.77)
262 Trade in Chinese Porcelain 263