A very fine large Arita blue and white porcelain 'VOC' dish
Condition: very fine, almost mint
Diam. 36 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, The Netherlands
These dishes, ordered by the VOC during the second half of the 17th century, were copied after the popular Chinese Wanli ‘Kraak’ porcelain. With the war in China between the Ming and Qing, starting in 1644, the source of supply of porcelain from China came to a sudden end, and the Dutch turned to Japan for porcelain in the ‘Kraak’ style. This style is characterised by a central floral and bird motif, surrounded by a radiating segmented border with alternating panels of pomegranates and bamboo. In Arita the VOC ordered these plates with the monogram added, to be used by the company staff in the East and also as diplomatic gifts. After peace was restored in China and the Qing- dynasty firmly established in circa 1700, porcelain was ordered from China again, for Japanese porcelain was too expensive.
Part of the Japan collection.
Related objects
A pink, yellow and green enamelled porcelain VOC teapot and saucer
A small Japanese blue-and-white Arita porcelain bottle marked P.VD
In a laurel wreath, the initials P.VD can be seen on the underside of the bottle, standing for Pieter van Dijck. Pieter van Dijck, in 1684, married Cornelia Cleijer in Batavia, becoming the son-in-law of Andreas Cleijer, Opperhoofd or chief merchant in Japan at Deshima from 1682 till 1683 and 1685 till 1686. Pieter himself was an assistant merchant and Tweede Dispensier in Batavia in 1684 and in 1690 Secunde in Japan at Deshima under Opperhoofd Hendrik van Buytenhem. It is most likely he ordered this bottle during his stay on the island tradepost.
A Japanese porcelain undecorated bottle
Few of these blank Japanese bottles survived, either because they were intensively used in the kitchens on Deshima island or on board of ships or, when they arrived safely in Holland, they were sometimes over-painted, mainly in Delft, with European or Chinoiserie scenes.