Provenance:
- Van Hees Collection, The Netherlands 1953 (nr. 163)
- Nieuwenhuys Collection, 1991 (Label nr. 108)
- Private Collection, Belgium 2025
€ 12,500
This object can be viewed in our gallery.
A brightly enamelled Cadogan ewer, decorated in famille verte over-glaze enamels with some gilding. The bright green body is moulded in the shape of a peach, with a forward pointing tip and the characteristic ridge down one side. Over the green body, is a decoration of red prunus blossom with brown stems and dark green leaves. The tip of the peach has been gilded. The reserved panels - one in the shape of an artemisia leaf, the other a quatrefoil form - have a decoration of flowers, rocks and insects. The leaf-shaped cartouche has auspicious daylilies and a large green cricket. The other panel has peonies with colourful chrysanthemums, a large butterfly and small flying insects. It has a curved spout with scattered insects and a rounded handle with a trailing branch with red flowers and green leaves. It stands on a high splayed concave foot, decorated in green with a cracked ice pattern in black, dotted with red blossom flowers. The underside has a transparent glaze and a small hole in the bottom.
This curious type of ewer, first originated in China, where it is known as a dao guan hu - upside down filling wine pot. Having no cover, it is filled upside down through the hole in the base; this leads to a long tube high up into the ewer. When filled, the liquid runs through the tube, overflowing into the body preventing a backflow. When the pot is righted, it can be poured through the spout. Standing upright, the ewer appears to have no way to be filled, making it an intriguing curiosity. This type of novelty lidless ewer, is also known as a Cadogan - said to be named after William, 1st Earl of Cadogan (1675-1726). He and his wife brought an example to Britain, where they used it as an entertainment, mystifying their guests as it had no apparent means to fill it.
It is often difficult to tell the difference between a wine pot and a tea pot, since their forms overlap, making them virtually indistinguishable. But a larger form and lack of an airhole in the lid, could indicate that the pot was intended for wine rather that tea. We do know that this lidless peach-form, was certainly used for wine in China.
These vessels appear to have had great appeal in Europe as several collections have peach ewers with famille verte enamelling. The British Museum, London has an example (acc.nr. 1947,071297), as does the Victoria & Albert Museum (acc.nr. C.1166-1910).
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