A Japanese blue-and-white porcelain with the initials of Iohannes Camphuys and an idem undecorated bottle
H. 20.5 & 30 cm
Johannes Camphuys (Haarlem 1635 - Batavia 1695) was Opperhoofd in Deshima, Japan, in 1671-1673, in 1673-1674, and again in 1675-1676, where he likely used the bottle for wine or sake at his table in the Opperhoofd’s house on Deshima island. Few of these blank Japanese bottles survived, either because they were intensively used in the kitchens on Deshima island or on board ships or, when they arrived safely in Holland, they were sometimes over-painted, mainly in Delft, with European or Chinoiserie scenes.
Part of the Japan collection.
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A pink, yellow and green enamelled porcelain VOC plate
Executed in rose-pink, yellow, and soft blue-green enamels, this design follows a silver ducatoon of 1728 in almost every aspect, with even the rim of the plate imitating the ribbed milling of the coin. On a shield is a crowned rampant lion, holding in his left paw a bunch of seven arrows symbolising the seven provinces of the United Netherlands, and in his right paw, a sword is shown supported by two crowned rampant lions. Below the shield is the monogram of the VOC, the Dutch East India Company, above the date 1728, and around it is the heraldic motto of the Dutch Republic CONCORDIA RES PARVAE CRESCUNT (by unity small things grow). The first ducatoon, or zilveren rijder, on which the design of this plate was based, arrived in Canton, China, on the 2nd of August 1729 with the Coxhorn, the first VOC ship to sail straight to Canton and not by way of Batavia. It arrived in Amsterdam in 1730 with the ordered porcelain in this design. This is an early example of the so-called Chine de Commande porcelain. Although the Cantonese artists had a zilveren rijder as an example, they didn’t really understand the design, giving the lions grimacing human faces and cape-like manes. They also didn’t understand the Latin letters, since the R ends truncated, the V is an inverted A, and the E looks more like a Chinese character. The only Chinese porcelain known with this design is a tea set, comprising cup-and-saucers and a theapot. For a cup and saucer, see: Uit Verre Streken, June 2017, no. 49. The Dutch likely took a cup-and-saucer from China to Japan, ordering larger plates like the one present. Until recently, these plates were attributed to Chinese kilns, but they are more likely Japanese. This solves the debate on whether these dishes are modern Chinese forgeries. One has been found in an old Japanese collection and is listed in a catalogue, which makes the latter impossible. The enamel's hues and the porcelain's colour are, indeed, more Japanese than Chinese.
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 Arita blue-and-white porcelain bottle with the initials RW
There is also an Imari bottle with the letters RW inside a simple circle and without the dots between the letters, possibly standing for Rheinland Wine (see: Uit Verre Streken, March 2023, no. 59). R:W, with the dots between the letters and inside a wreath are the initials of a person, in this case probably of Richard Woodward or Richardus Woodwart the younger, ondercoopman, negotieboeckhouder and secunde on Deshima, appointed by opperhoofd Hendrik Dijckman as temporary opperhoofd in Deshima on February 13, 1699, in Dijckman’s place while he himself was on his way to the court to Edo.