Dish
1573-1620 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This dish was made in Jingdezhen during the reign of the Wanli emperor (1573-1620). It is an example of Kraak style porcelain. Kraak style dishes of this type are characterised by radiating decorative panels, placed around a large central design. In this instance the central figure is that of a dragon, but natural plant, flower and animal subjects were also popular decorative themes.
The base of this dish bears an apocryphal Chenghua reign (1465-1487) mark. Both Chenghua and Xuande (1426-35) marks were commonly used on Wanli period porcelains. The body of this dish is made of poor quality, brittle porcelain clay and the execution of the decoration shows little finesse. This low quality was common among wares made in bulk for the export market during this period.
The term 'kraak' derives from the Dutch word 'Carrack' used to describe the type of boat used by the Portuguese to ship porcelain from China to Europe in sixteenth century. Kraak ware was produced on a vast scale throughout the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The majority was exported to Europe. This is evidenced by shipwrecked cargoes and surviving ship's inventories.
The base of this dish bears an apocryphal Chenghua reign (1465-1487) mark. Both Chenghua and Xuande (1426-35) marks were commonly used on Wanli period porcelains. The body of this dish is made of poor quality, brittle porcelain clay and the execution of the decoration shows little finesse. This low quality was common among wares made in bulk for the export market during this period.
The term 'kraak' derives from the Dutch word 'Carrack' used to describe the type of boat used by the Portuguese to ship porcelain from China to Europe in sixteenth century. Kraak ware was produced on a vast scale throughout the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The majority was exported to Europe. This is evidenced by shipwrecked cargoes and surviving ship's inventories.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain painted in underglaze blue |
| Brief description | Dish, porcelain painted in underglaze blue, China, Jingdezhen, Ming dynasty, Wanli period (1573-1620) |
| Physical description | Porcelain dish painted in underglaze blue. The centre filled with a dragon amid flaming jewels; round the cavetto is a border divided into panels containing stylised peaches and emblems. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'da Ming Chenghua nian zhi'
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| Credit line | Given by E.L. Cappel Esq. |
| Production | Register |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This dish was made in Jingdezhen during the reign of the Wanli emperor (1573-1620). It is an example of Kraak style porcelain. Kraak style dishes of this type are characterised by radiating decorative panels, placed around a large central design. In this instance the central figure is that of a dragon, but natural plant, flower and animal subjects were also popular decorative themes. The base of this dish bears an apocryphal Chenghua reign (1465-1487) mark. Both Chenghua and Xuande (1426-35) marks were commonly used on Wanli period porcelains. The body of this dish is made of poor quality, brittle porcelain clay and the execution of the decoration shows little finesse. This low quality was common among wares made in bulk for the export market during this period. The term 'kraak' derives from the Dutch word 'Carrack' used to describe the type of boat used by the Portuguese to ship porcelain from China to Europe in sixteenth century. Kraak ware was produced on a vast scale throughout the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The majority was exported to Europe. This is evidenced by shipwrecked cargoes and surviving ship's inventories. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.230-1926 |
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| Record created | December 30, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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