Provenance:
- With Vanderven Oriental Art, 1996
- Private Collection, United Kingdom 2013
Condition Report Available
€ 14,500
This object can be viewed in our gallery.
These fluted ewers, are decorated in shades of underglaze blue, with a décor clearly copied from Dutch Delftware examples. The bulbous body, has a wide band of stylised ruyi-heads alternating with cartouches with scrollwork and flowers. Underneath is a white band with birds and flower sprays. The lower neck is white with scattered butterflies. Under the rim is a wide band with hanging swags and flowers with two reserved circular panels, each with a flower. The C-shaped handle and separate cover are decorated with a pattern of leafy scrolls with a single butterfly at the spout; the cover has a small seated dog as a finial. They both stand on a short undecorated splayed foot. These ewers would have arrived in Holland like these, with no silver or metal mounts, which could be added later to the taste of the buyer.
There is some discussion as to the function of these ewers, it is referred to both as a large milk jug and a coffee pot. In any case, they were specifically made to order in the early 18th century, the shape and decoration both clearly copied from Dutch Delft examples. Records show that the VOC placed ever increasing orders for this type of lidded jugs. It was certainly a lucrative business, as we know from the studies of the VOC registers, recorded when they resumed their direct orders in 1729. These types of ewers would be purchased for between 20 - 40 cents, making an average tidy profit of 200% at auction in Amsterdam.
These ewers tell us a lot about the ever-growing international trade of luxury goods and the ensuing exchange of design ideas. The hanging swag motifs on these ewers – also known as lambrequins - are inspired by French textile decoration; popularised in the Netherlands by Hugenot architect and designer Daniël Marot (1661- 1752). These in turn, inspired the decor on 18th-century Chinese export porcelain, reflected back again in the motifs used on Dutch Delftware. These ewers can therefore be seen as the result of a combination of Chinese, French and Dutch influences. As such, they are the ultimate 18th-century global trade product.
The Collection in Museum Huis van Gijn, Dordrecht, has an identical ewer (nr.3757). An example with coloured enamels and a French armorial decoration, is in Musée Guimet, Paris ((G5010). The Groninger Museum has a similar ewer, but decorated in the Chinese Imari palette (1955.0133) of which the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam has a Delftware version in their collection (BK-KOG-2410). KunstMuseum, The Hague has a delftware version with blue decoration (nr 0400534).
- Christiaan J.A. Jörg, Interactions in Ceramics: Oriental Porcelain & Delftware, Exhibition Catalogue Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1984, p.70 nr.28
- D.F. Lunsingh Scheurleer, Chinesisches und japanisches Porcellan in europäischen Fassungen, Braunschwieg, 1980, p.232-233
- D.F Lunsingh Scheurleer, Chine de Commende, Lochem, 1989 (2nd ed.), p.138 fig 115
- Madelaine Paul-David (et al), The World Greatest Collections Oriental Ceramics Vol.7: Musée Guimet, Tokyo, 1981, mono.pl.16
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