Food Tray
ca. 1695 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Porcelain decorated with Dutch family crests were commissioned by officers, traders and wealthy people connected to trade in China and the Dutch East India Company (VOC). For most of the seventeenth century and even into the early eighteenth century, the Dutch East India Company continued to monopolise trade in China. During this period around five hundred to seven hundred pieces were commissioned bearing a coat of arms. This sweetmeat dish is the first enamelled armorial dish made for a Dutch customer.
This piece bears the coat of arms of Johannes Camphuijs (1634-1695) he was employed by the VOC as a junior clerk in Batavia in 1684. Between 1684 and 1691 he acted as Governor General of Batavia after swiftly rising through the ranks. This sweetmeat dish displays a raised arm holding a hammer that reflects his previous profession as a silversmith before joining the VOC.
This piece bears the coat of arms of Johannes Camphuijs (1634-1695) he was employed by the VOC as a junior clerk in Batavia in 1684. Between 1684 and 1691 he acted as Governor General of Batavia after swiftly rising through the ranks. This sweetmeat dish displays a raised arm holding a hammer that reflects his previous profession as a silversmith before joining the VOC.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain painted in overglaze enamels |
| Brief description | Armorial porcelain. Food tray, porcelain painted in overglaze polychrome enamels with European heraldry, China, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722), ca.1695 |
| Physical description | Porcelain food tray for sweetmeats, consisting of a central star-shaped dish, with eight wavy rays, and eight six-sided dishes shaped to fit between them. Each dish is painted on the inside in overglaze polychrome enamels with an armorial shield surmounted by a helmet and crest; the shield is charged with an arm, couped and armed, and holding a battle-axe, which is repeated for the crest, and the whole is surrounded by interlacing scrolls. Round the inside of the rim of the central dish is a floral border, and on the top of the edge a dotted band ornamented with scattered plum blossoms; the other dishes are decorated on the inside of the rim with conventional lotus flowers and scrolls, and have a diaper border round the top of the edge. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Gallery label | Set of food dishes
About 1695
This set was commissioned in China for Johannes Camphuijs, the Governor-General of the Dutch territories in present-day Indonesia. These territories were held by the East India Company, a profit-driven company owned by shareholders. Camphuijs was based at Batavia (Jakarta), but also visited Japan three times and developed a passion for Japanese cuisine.
China (Jingdezhen)
Unglazed porcelain painted in enamels(09.12.2015) |
| Object history | Purchased from a source not recorded in the Asia Department registers, accessioned in 1897. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Production | Register |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Porcelain decorated with Dutch family crests were commissioned by officers, traders and wealthy people connected to trade in China and the Dutch East India Company (VOC). For most of the seventeenth century and even into the early eighteenth century, the Dutch East India Company continued to monopolise trade in China. During this period around five hundred to seven hundred pieces were commissioned bearing a coat of arms. This sweetmeat dish is the first enamelled armorial dish made for a Dutch customer. This piece bears the coat of arms of Johannes Camphuijs (1634-1695) he was employed by the VOC as a junior clerk in Batavia in 1684. Between 1684 and 1691 he acted as Governor General of Batavia after swiftly rising through the ranks. This sweetmeat dish displays a raised arm holding a hammer that reflects his previous profession as a silversmith before joining the VOC. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 708-1897 |
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| Record created | January 27, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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