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China, 1645–60 D. 30.5 cm, D. footring 17.2 cm, H. 17 cm Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, inv. no. AK-NM 6376 Bequest of the widow of J.T. Royer to King William I, 1814. Royal Cabinet of Curiosities, transferred to the Rijksmuseum in 1883. Box on a thick footring, with a domed cover. The insides of the box and cover are undecorated, with a broad, uneven, unglazed band around the rims. Decorated in underglaze blue and ironred, three shades of green, yellow, black and aubergine enamels. On the cover a seated dignitary on a terrace with attendants and a kneeling man offering a scroll. On the sides of the cover and box a multitude of children engaged in various pursuits, their faces painted a very light iron-red. This famous, exquisitely painted box is typical of the highquality production of enamelled wares during the Shunzi period. The many children (91 in all) represent the ‘one hundred sons of Emperor Wen-wang’, and symbolise riches, abundance and a secure old age. The 1814 provenance is of great documentary value. 20 Publ.: London 1935, no.1988; London 1971, cat. 187, pl. 26; Lunsingh Scheurleer 1974, fig. 36; Lunsingh Scheurleer 1985, cat. 72; Jörg & Van Campen 1997, cat. 77 Ref.: Kilburn 1981, fig. 110
21 10 - Jar China, 1645–60 H. 46 cm, D. rim 20 cm, D. base 20.5 cm Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, inv. no. AK-NM 6462 Bequest of the widow of J.T. Royer to King William I, 1814. Royal Cabinet of Curiosities, transferred to the Rijksmuseum in 1883. Baluster jar with a spreading foot and a wide neck. The base is unglazed. The cover is missing. Decorated in three shades of underglaze blue and various enamels, the outlines in black. On one side a landscape with a lady and four maids, two with tall fans. On the other side a terrace with six women making music, and a dancer. A large rock and a banana tree close the scene. On the shoulder a crackled-ice design, the neck with rocks and flower sprays. This is a good example of the group of sturdy, well-painted polychrome wares that was developed for export during the reign of Emperor Shunzhi. Large jars such as this are surprisingly common in Western collections, proving that these wares were traded, but dishes and other shapes are much more rare. As the Dutch East India Company (VOC) no longer actively bought or ordered porcelain during the 1650s, such jars were probably shipped to Europe privately. In the Netherlands people used these expensive and exclusive pieces for interior decoration, for example, placing them in the fireplace in summer. The decoration shows the Daoist goddess Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, attended by four fairy maids. She is enjoying a dance performed to music made by six female musicians. Two are playing the flute, one is blowing a reed organ, and the fourth is drumming, while to her right the leader of the group holds a pair of wooden clappers. Behind her the sixth musician strikes two rows of small bells on a stick. The background of water with rocks and islands with pavilions depicts the Jasper Pool in Xiwangmu’s magical paradise in the Western Kunlun Mountains. The flying crane with a wooden counter in its beak also represents longevity.* Related depictions of music-making women appeared, for instance, in the Wanli edition of the Pipaji (‘The Story of the Lute’) an opera story by Gao Ming (1305-70) and the porcelain painter may have based himself on such a woodcut illustration.** Publ.: Lunsingh Scheurleer 1972, pl. 100; Campen 1996, p. 22, no. 5; Jörg & Van Campen 1997, cat. 75 Refs.: Bondy 1923, pl. 121; Wiesner 1981, no. 115; Little 1983, cat. 42; Lisbon 1984, pp. 67, 122; Marchant 1989, no. 113; Kassel 1990, nos. 48, 50–52, 54; Krahl 1994, vol. 2, no. 780; Li 1996, no. 644; Shimizu 2003, cats. 110–15; Bartholomew 2006, pp. 179, 214, 221, 263; Pei 2004, pp. 52, 194–95; Kerr 1991, pp. 122–23; Avitabile 1992, cats. 261– 64; Pinto de Matos 1996, cats. 81-7; Arapova 2003, cat. 7; Morena 2005, cats. 69–75 * With thanks to Helga Ellemeet, Wassenaar, for identifying this scene. ** With thanks to Kees Kuiken for the literary reference.
Page 1 and 2: Famille Verte CHINESE PORCELAIN IN
Page 4 and 5: 7 Foreword 9 Famille Verte 2
Page 6 and 7: China, Zhangzhou kilns, late 16th c
Page 10 and 11: 15 - Jar China, c. 1645-60 H. 20.8
Page 13 and 14: Flowers, Animals and Long Elizas Mo
Page 15 and 16: 90 - Brush pot China, early 18th ce
Page 18 and 19: In China, at the end of the 12th ce
Page 20: China, c. 1700 Bowl: D. rim 34 cm,
Page 24 and 25: Scene 4 (Book 1). Zhang, seated, as
Page 26 and 27: China, 1700-20 Rijksmuseum Amsterda
Page 28 and 29: China, 1700-20 H. 27.5 cm, D. rim 3
Page 30 and 31: 107 - Lantern China, first quarter
Page 32: 121 - Teapot China, early 18th cent

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