A rare Chinese export porcelain famille rose ‘Danish East-India Trading Company’ saucer
Decorated in various overglaze enamels with a roundel enclosing a mirror- monogram of the ‘D.O.C.’, Danske Ostindke Company, within a rocaille mantling and below a floral wreath, the rim with a border of continuous vines and flowers.
Diam. 11.6 cm
The mirror monogram on this saucer is historically highly interesting. Identical monograms can be found on Danish coins (Kronet) from 1699-1730, made during the reign of the Danish/Norwegian King Frederick IV (1671-1730).
The Danske Ostindke Company or Danish East India Company refers to two separate Danish-Norwegian chartered companies. The first Company operated between 1616 and 1650. The second Company existed between 1670 and 1729; however, in 1730 it was re-founded as the Asiatic Company. In 1618 it took the Admiral Gjedde two years to reach Ceylon, where he briefly occupied the colossal Konesawaram Temple before being expelled by the Portuguese. After that, the Danes settled in Tranquebar, where they obtained permission to trade with the Tangore Kingdom, established Dansborg and installed the first Opperhoved Captain Crappe. Between 1624 and 1636, trade extended to Indonesia as well, but subsequent wars in Europe ruined the Company.
In 1670, a second Danish East India Company was established and trade between Denmark, Norway and Tranquebar resumed. Several new outposts were established, governed from Tranquebar: Oddeway Torre on the Malabar Coast in 1696, and Denmarksnagore at Gondalpara, southeast of Chanderagore in 1698. The settlement with the Nayak was confirmed, and Tranquebar was permitted to expand to include three neighbouring villages. Denmark sent missionaries to India, which was vehemently opposed by the local rulers. Their pressure, economic and in battle caused trade to stagnate. Above all, the Norwegian King forced the DOC to loan him money which he failed to repay, forcing the Company into liquidation and bankruptcy.
The DOC never got near as large as the Dutch VOC, due to poor economic choices and the strong urge to spread Christianity above a healthy trade-relationship with local authorities.
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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 pink, yellow and green enamelled porcelain VOC teapot and saucer
A Japanese Ko-imari porcelain 'VOC' dish
Arita, Edo period, first half 19th century Decorated in blue and iron-red under glaze with in the center the VOC monogram in gold. The bottom with imitation Chinese Ming Dynasty Chenghua marks, 'Great Ming Chenghua period mark'. Diam. 21.2 cm Dishes like the one present were very expensive souvenirs for wealthy Japanese domestic tourists who visited Nagasaki to get a glimpse of the Dutch on Deshima. The design of this particular dish is unknown, and it is possibly unique.