A blue and white kraak saucer-dish decorated with two deer. China, Wanli

Thinly potted and precisely formed, this saucer-dish has curved sides and a rim moulded into eight alternating wide and narrow radiating panels. It rests upon a low, V-shaped footring that slants slightly inwards. The decoration, rendered in contrasting shades of underglaze cobalt blue, centres on a medallion depicting two spotted deer upon a rocky mound beneath a pine tree, all enclosed within a double ring. The bracket-lobed panels on the rim display flowers and plants – including a bird amongst lotus sprays – while the narrow registers are adorned with strings of pearls and jewels, all set against a pale blue wash ground. The underside is decorated with branches of lingzhi fungus alternating with insects.

COUNTRY : China
TIME: Wanli (1573–1620), c. 1590–1600
MATERIAL : Porcelain
SIZE : 20 cm
REFERENCE : E943
PROVENANCE : From a Franco-Japanese private collection
STATUS : vendu
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Related works .

The consistently high quality of the potting and draughtsmanship across these variants suggests that such pieces originated from elite private kilns in Jingdezhen, notably those at Guanyinge. The rarity of this group is well-documented in ceramic scholarship. Maura Rinaldi first discussed forty-five recorded examples[2], a figure later updated by Eva Ströber, who noted approximately sixty identified pieces in 2013[3]. A significant portion of this group resides in prestigious historical collections; notably, sixteen such plates and one saucer-dish were recorded in the Santos Palace in Lisbon – now the French Embassy[ii].

Specific comparisons reinforce the importance of the present dish. A plate with nearly identical decoration depicting two deer, formerly in the collection of George Wingfield Digby, is now held in the Lurie Collection[4]. While the deer motif is highly prized, other naturalistic scenes appear within this ‘egret mark’ series. These include a dish with cranes in the Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, and the Princessehof Museum, Leeuwarden; a pheasant-decorated plate in the British Museum[5]; and another depicting a pair of pheasants beneath a pine tree from the former Roger and Jill Bichard collection. Even more exceptional are the rare saucer-dishes that combine underglaze blue with monochrome blue glaze, such as the examples in the Sir Michael Butler Collection discussed in Leaping the Dragon Gate. The Sir Michael Butler Collection of 17th-Century Chinese Porcelain[6]. These objects, fragments of which have been unearthed in excavations at Macao, confirm that Portuguese merchants were amongst the primary early patrons of this refined ‘egret mark’ porcelain[7]

[2] Maura Rinaldi, Kraak Porcelain: A Moment in the History of Trade, 1989, pp. 201-205, pl. 264a-n

[3] Eva Ströber, Ming Porcelain for a Globalised Trade, Stuttgart, 2013, p. 208

[4] Teresa Canepa, Jingdezhen to the World: The Lurie Collection of Chinese Export Porcelain from the Late Ming Dynasty, 2019, no. 17

[5] 1923,0611.1

[6] London, 2021, pp. 74–5, nos. III.1.20 and III.1.21.

[7] Christiaan Jörg, Oriental Porcelain in The Netherlands. Four museum collections, exhibition catalogue, Groninger Museum, Groningen, 2003, p. 22, no. 5

Additional information.

The term kraak identifies an iconic category of Chinese export porcelain that reached its zenith during the Wanli reign. The name is thought to stem from the Portuguese carracas (carracks) – merchant vessels whose substantial ceramic cargoes were seized by the Dutch in the early 17th century. Visually, the style is defined by radiating panels surrounding a central composition, a dynamic aesthetic that exerted a profound influence on European taste and the subsequent productions of Delft.

This dish belongs to a restricted group of high-quality kraak wares – comprising plates, saucer-dishes, and klapmutsen – distinguished by the use of exceptionally well-levigated clay and the presence of an egret mark on the base. In her study of the Lurie Collection, Teresa Canepa[1] identified three distinct versions of this mark: the first depicts the bird with a fish in its beak; the second displays a thick crest on the head; and the third – as seen on the present specimen – is rendered with an erect body and long legs terminating in two circles[i]. The Dutch term klapmuts (plural klapmutsen) refers to a deep bowl with a broad, flat rim, named for its resemblance to the flapped woollen caps worn by 17th-century Dutch sailors. This form represents a deliberate adaptation by Jingdezhen potters to European dining habits, as the rim provided a practical resting place for a spoon.

[1] Teresa Canepa, Jingdezhen to the World: The Lurie Collection of Chinese Export Porcelain from the Late Ming Dynasty, 2019

Question about condition report

Question about condition report