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

Dish

1575-1610 (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

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Porcelain, painted in underglaze cobalt blue
Brief description
Dish, porcelain painted in underglaze blue, Jingdezhen, China, Ming dynasty, Wanli period, 1575-1610
Physical description
Porcelain dish, painted in underglaze blue with an eagle and a hare in the centre, and Kraak type border.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 40.0cm
  • Height: 0.0cm
Style
Gallery label
Dish China, Jingdezhen, 1575-1610; acquired in Iran 1637-1876(2009)
Object history
Purchased from Robert Murdoch Smith, accessioned in 1876. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
From the RICHARD collection, Iran
Production
label
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.
Collection
Accession number
1637-1876

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Record createdMarch 7, 2000
Record URL
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