Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 145

Bottle

1575-1600 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Around 1580 a new type of blue-and-white porcelain was developed at Jingdezhen in China. Originally intended for export around Asia it was soon traded across the world, including the Americas. This commerce was driven primarily by the Dutch East India Company (founded 1602), which shipped the new wares in unprecedented quantities.

This new type with panelled borders is called 'Kraak porcelain' and was made for export from the 1580s to the 1640s. The word kraak is the Dutch name for the carrack, an ocean-going trading vessel. Mass-produced in standardised shapes, the wares were stackable and light, which reduced transport costs. Attractively decorated with plants, birds and animals in blue-and-white, Kraak porcelain had world wide success.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Porcelain, moulded and painted in underglaze blue
Brief description
Bottle, moulded porcelain with underglaze blue decoration of deers and auspicious emblems, made in Jingdezhen, China, Ming dynasty, 1575-1600
Physical description
Porcelain bottle, pear-shaped body with fluted sides, long narrow neck. Vertically moulded with six panels and painted in underglaze blue, each enclosing a deer and separated by auspicious emblems. Above are sceptre-heads (ruyi) with pendent jewels and emblems.
Dimensions
  • Height: 30.5cm
  • Diameter: 15.9cm
Styles
Gallery label
Bottle China, Jingdezhen, 1575-1600 The bottle for the Middle Eastern market. C.567-1910, Salting Bequest(2009)
Credit line
Salting Bequest
Object history
Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
The bottle was made for export to the Middle East.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Around 1580 a new type of blue-and-white porcelain was developed at Jingdezhen in China. Originally intended for export around Asia it was soon traded across the world, including the Americas. This commerce was driven primarily by the Dutch East India Company (founded 1602), which shipped the new wares in unprecedented quantities.

This new type with panelled borders is called 'Kraak porcelain' and was made for export from the 1580s to the 1640s. The word kraak is the Dutch name for the carrack, an ocean-going trading vessel. Mass-produced in standardised shapes, the wares were stackable and light, which reduced transport costs. Attractively decorated with plants, birds and animals in blue-and-white, Kraak porcelain had world wide success.
Other number
Loan no. 2367
Collection
Accession number
C.567-1910

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Record createdDecember 15, 2008
Record URL
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