Zhangzhou (Swatow)
China, c.1570–1650
Jingdezhen was the production centre of export porcelain, but smaller kilns in southern China competed on Asian markets. A group of factories in the south of Fujian province was particularly active. Their products are referred to by the old name of 'Swatow', which is derived from the harbour from where these wares were allegedly shipped. However, recent archaeological research has proved that in fact they were produced in the Zhangzhou area in a variety of kilns. Thick-bodied porcelain or stoneware dishes, jars, jarlets and covered boxes were made here from around 1570. Bowls, bottles, vases and kendis are more rare.
The output was exported to Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan, but not to Europe, where this type was regarded as too heavy and coarse. The Portuguese – and later the VOC (Dutch East India Company, 1602–1799) – used Swatow as a commodity in their inter-Asian trade. The type is known in underglaze blue, in overglaze enamels and in combinations of the two. The decorations are largely derived from Jiajing and Kraak porcelain made for export in Jingdezhen, but the quality of their painting is usually noticeably inferior. Landscapes with birds or deer, for instance, were sometimes drawn so quickly and sketchily that it is difficult to see what exactly is depicted. Dishes and jars often have much kiln grit adhering to their bases and their thick, milky glaze can be heavily crackled. Rather unusual are dishes with an underglaze monochrome brown or blue, decorated in white slib with dots and lines a technique only seen on Swatow wares. Also exclusive to Swatow are dishes decorated in green enamels with Arabic inscriptions that were made for the sultans in Aceh (northern Sumatra). The large jars were used to transport and stored dried fish, pickled vegetables, arak, oil, etc. Small jars contained cosmetic oils or magical fluids, while covered boxes held a paste, an ointment or whatever the owner wanted to keep in it. Swatow was highly regarded in Indonesia and for centuries pieces were cherished as family heirlooms (pusaka porcelain). Almost all Swatow in the Netherlands was collected in the former Dutch Indies and ended up here.
The civil wars in China in the mid-17th century interrupted porcelain exports from Jingdezhen, but brought an end to Swatow production.
Object 2011223
Dish
Provenance: (Southeast) China, Zhangzhou (Swatow)
Dating: (1579-1595)
Large dish on a footring with a straight rim and an unglazed base. Decorated in underglaze blue.
In the centre a decoration of a Phoenix standing in a garden. The bird stands in profile on one leg. The other is lifted, in the characteristic resting pose of waders. A peony tree is on the left. The bird's cock's-combed head is turned towards bamboo on his right. Three long tail feathers stream towards the edge of the design. Areas around the bird's neck and breast are filled with, parallel strokes. Detail of peony and leaves are accentuated by similar lines. Bamboo is stylized at three levels: elongated triangles close to the ground for the shoots; long, pencilled rods at medium level for the stems; zig-zag fringes close the top of the design for the leaves. Rocks and pool are outlined close to the bottom of the design. The border is divided into sixteen segments. Narrow fields with patterns of dots alternate with broader fields enclosing floral motifs. Some kiln-grit adhering to the footring and base.
On the base a rectangular paper label that reads "Phoenix standing in a Garden. Swatow +/- 1600."
B. Harrisson states in her "Swatow, catalogue Princessehof Museum", chapter 11; The standing Phoenix and His Environment that since he is a chimerical creature, the phoenix may adopt the "image" of natural birds and also "influence" them to stimulate him, provided only stunning beauty is the result. This unique creature is composed of admirable parts of various animals. The phoenix has the head of a pheasant, surmounted by a cock's comb, the beak of a swallow, the neck of a tortoise. He subsides on the seeds of bamboo and on sacred springs. He is virtue and benevolence, strides rather than walks. He is over six feet tall. Flying, he fills the air with music. On Swatow types, the phoenix is represented in two ways: standing or flying. But whereas both motifs are common decorations on polychrome Swatow types, only the standing phoenix is common in blue-white. The phoenix stands always large, in profile, on long legs. Bamboo, his traditional food, and peony, his traditional tribute, surround him. But the detail of his head, his plumage and his environment vary. Painting is outline and wash, frequently in contrasting shades of blue.
For similar decorated dishes see:
- Swatow, catalogue Princessehof Museum, (H. Miedema, Leeuwarden, 1964), p.12, cat. S49.
- Swatow, catalogue Princessehof Museum, (B. Harrisson, Leeuwarden, 1979), pp. 64-65, cat. 98 & 101.
- Zhangzhou (Swatow) Ceramics. Sixteenth to Seventeenth Centuries Found in Indonesia, (S. Adhyatman, The Ceramic Society of Indonesia, 1999), p.85, cat. 81.
- The Binh Thuan Shipwreck, sale catalogue Christie’s Melbourne, 1 & 2 March 2004, p.42, lots 282-284.
Dimensions:
Height: 75 mm (2.95 inch)
Diameter: 350 mm (13.77 inch)
Diameter of footring: 172 mm (6.77 inch)
Condition: A hairline, most likely caused by the firing process, to the base. Seven glaze rough spots and a chip to the rim. A chip to the inner footring.
References:
Harrisson 1979, pp.63-68, cat. 98 & 101.
Adhyatman 1999, p.85, cat. 81.
Melbourne 2004, p.42, lots 282-284.
Price: € 799 - $ 1.071 - £ 684
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Object 2010354
Dish
Provenance: (Southeast) China, Zhangzhou (Swatow)
Dating: (1580-1640)
Large dish on footring with flaring sides, ridged and out-turned at the edge and an unglazed base. Polychrome decorated with overglaze iron-red and green, black and turquoise overglaze enamels, the brilliant turquoise shade which compliments green makes Swatow polychromes distinctive.
In the centre flowering peonies in red, black and green. The stem of the peony, and a pheasant perching on it, are in turquoise over black. Around the cavetto are four floral medallions matching the centre, separated by lozenge diapers and roundels in red and green. The exterior is plain.
S. Adhyatman states in her "Zhangzhou (Swatow) Ceramics. Sixteenth to Seventeenth Centuries Found in Indonesia" that; Swatow ware was mainly exported to Japan and Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. It was the main Chinese export ware to Indonesia in the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries. Examples are found as treasured heirlooms and excavated in ancient historical sites and shipwrecks. In the past they were used extensively by the nobility and the elite in communal feasts heaped with food, as wedding gifts and as status symbols. Not many were used as funerary gifts as the Muslim religion forbade such practices. Fragments of polychrome and blue and white ware have been found in the Zhangzhou kilns in Fujian. This is evidence that polychrome wares were made in the same kilns and at the same time as blue and white wares. Polychrome ware is very popular in Indonesia and Japan. In Indonesia it is called "Ming merah", or red Ming; in Japan it is named "gosu akae", or red ware, and also Nanking enamelled ware. The polychrome ware has four colours. Red tends to be dominant and is used for the principal motifs and diapers. Black is used for outlines and green is the colour of leaves. Turquoise covers black outlines of animals, mythical beasts and humans or it is used on its own. The use of the turquoise colour could have been influenced by Muslin patronage. For the Middle East and Southeast Asian countries with a predominantly Islamic population, the turquoise is an auspicious stone.
The dish is fitted in an old, custom made, brass frame.
For a similar decorated dish see:
Dimensions:
Height: 84 mm (3.31 inch)
Diameter: 410 mm (16.14 inch)
Diameter of footring: 90 mm (3.54 inch)
Condition: Three hairlines and some glaze chips to the rim.
References:
Harrisson 1979, p.121, cat. 240.
Adhyatman 1999, p.155, cat. 206a & 206b.
Price: € 1.499 - $ 2.087 - £ 1.306
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Object 2011129
Dish
Provenance: (Southeast) China, Zhangzhou (Swatow)
Dating: (1580-1640)
Large dish on footring with flaring sides, ridged and out-turned at the edge and an unglazed base. Polychrome decorated with overglaze iron-red and green, black and turquoise overglaze enamels.
In the centre two phoenix encircling a pearl amidst clouds. Around the cavetto four large panels filled with flowering plants and separated by two smaller panels filled with a lozenge diaper pattern. The exterior is undecorated.
S. Adhyatman states in her "Zhangzhou (Swatow) Ceramics. Sixteenth to Seventeenth Centuries Found in Indonesia" that Swatow ware was mainly exported to Japan and Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. It was the main Chinese export ware to Indonesia in the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries. Examples are found as treasured heirlooms and excavated in ancient historical sites and shipwrecks. In the past they were used extensively by the nobility and the elite in communal feasts heaped with food, as wedding gifts and as status symbols. Not many were used as funerary gifts as the Muslim religion forbade such practices. Fragments of polychrome and blue and white ware have been found in the Zhangzhou kilns in Fujian. This is evidence that polychrome wares were made in the same kilns and at the same time as blue and white wares. Polychrome ware is very popular in Indonesia and Japan. In Indonesia it is called "Ming merah", or red Ming; in Japan it is named "gosu akae", or red ware, and also Nanking enamelled ware. The polychrome ware has four colours. Red tends to be dominant and is used for the principal motifs and diapers. Black is used for outlines and green is the colour of leaves. Turquoise covers black outlines of animals, mythical beasts and humans or it is used on its own. The use of the turquoise colour could have been influenced by Muslin patronage. For the Middle East and Southeast Asian countries with a predominantly Islamic population, the turquoise is an auspicious stone.
For an identical decorated dish see:
Dimensions:
Height: 75 mm (2.95 inch)
Diameter: 380 mm (14.96 inch)
Diameter of footring: 182 mm (7.17 inch)
Condition:Three glaze rough spots and six chips to the rim. Wear to the decoration due to extensive use.
References:
Adhyatman 1999, p.158, cat. 212.
Price: € 899 - $ 1.185 - £ 732
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Object 201068
Dish
Provenance: (Southeast) China, Zhangzhou (Swatow)
Dating: Late 16th century / first half 17th century
Dish on footring with a straight rim. Decorated in underglaze blue.
In the centre two standing phoenixes facing and overlapping one another flanked by peony. The background is completely filled with leaf scrolls and leaves. On the interior rim five foliated medallions each filled with flowers, in between the medallions a concentric waves decoration. The exterior rim and the base are not decorated.
The dish was, most likely, part of a shipwrecks cargo. It is unknown of which ship. All the glaze has worn off due to submergence in sea water for centuries.
For a similar decorated dish see:
Dimensions:
Height: 50 mm (1.97 inch)
Diameter: 268 mm (10.56 inch)
Diameter of footring: 120 mm (4.73 inch)
Condition: Perfect but without glaze.
References:
Lunsingh Scheurleer 1966, cat. 9a.
Adhyatman 1999, p.92, cat. 91.
Price: € 499 - $ 668 - £ 426
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Object 201044
Dish
Provenance: (Southeast) China, Zhangzhou (Swatow)
Dating: Jiajing period (1522-1566)
Dish on footring, flattened rim, foliated edge and a glazed base. Decorated in underglaze blue.
In the centre a ch'i-lin, its head facing the moon with stylised emblems and clouds, encircled by a double concentric band. The cavetto is left bare of decoration. On the liprim a band in which characters are sketched in between a criss-cross pattern.
Dimensions:
Height: 30 mm (1.18 inch)
Diameter: 185 mm (7.29 inch)
Diameter of footring: 100 mm (3.94 inch)
Condition: Perfect, with fine crazing to the glaze.
References:
Harrisson 1979, p.33, cat. 39-42.
Price: € 199 - $ 274 - £ 174
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Object 2010258
Dish
Provenance: (Southeast) China, Zhangzhou (Swatow)
Dating: Jiajing period (1522-1566)
Dish on footring with a flattened rim and a glazed base. Decorated in underglaze blue.
In the centre a qilin, its head facing the moon with stylised emblems and clouds, encircled by a double concentric band. The cavetto is left bare of decoration. On the in- and exterior liprim three antiquities with tassels.
On the exterior wall a rectangular paper label that reads "MING DYNASTY (1368-1644) Unearthed from ancient Chinese gravesites in Tigba-wan, ?liolo, Philippines, (during the 1970's)"
To the base a lozenge-shaped paper label reads "P100 is xs64.6", most likely, the position were the dish was found on the gravesite.
Dimensions:
Height: 33 mm (1.18 inch)
Diameter: 180 mm (7.29 inch)
Diameter of footring: 85 mm (3.94 inch)
Condition: Perfect, with fine crazing to the glaze.
Price: € 199 - $ 274 - £ 174
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Object 201067
Dish
Provenance: (Southeast) China, Zhangzhou (Swatow)
Dating: Wanli period (1573-1620)
Dish on footring, a flattened rim and a glazed base. Decorated in underglaze blue.
In the centre a "Fenghuang", the Chinese phoenix, standing in a landscape on rocks, around this decoration a thin border of scrolls. The cavetto is left bare of decoration. On the interior rim a band in which is drawn alternatingly a flower, lozenge, cash and a artemisia leaf, precious Buddhist objects tied with ribbons. On the exterior wall twice a long stem with three tiny peaches with in between a small dot. On the exterior rim three stems with a small flower.
Dimensions:
Height: 26 mm (1.02 inch)
Diameter: 142 mm (5.59 inch)
Diameter of footring: 73 mm (2.88 inch)
Condition: Some wearing to the glaze on the rim.
References:
Price: € 299 - $ 412 - £ 259
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Object 2010277
Storage Jar / Martavan
Provenance: (Southeast) China, Zhangzhou (Swatow)
Dating: 2nd half 16th century
An ovoid-shaped storage jar / martavan on a footring with a partially glazed base, a short neck, rounded lip and four vertical strap-handles placed around the shoulder. Decorated in underglaze blue.
Decorated around the neck with swirls and dashes, on the shoulder a border of lotus leaves and on the body two rather burlesque dragons between cloud-scrolls and segmented waves.
For a similar decorated storage jar / martavan see:
Dimensions:
Height: 265 mm (10.43 inch)
Diameter: 233 mm (9.17 inch)
Diameter of mouthrim: 80 mm (3.15 inch)
Diameter of footring: 140 mm (5.51 inch)
Condition: Crazing to the glaze, a 25 mm (0.98 inch) chip to the outer footring, a 70 mm (2.76 inch) chip to the inner footring and an 8 mm (0.32 inch) chip to a strap-handle.
References:
Miedema 1964, pp. 24-25, cat. S130.
Harrisson 1979, p.39, cat. 53.
Adhyatman 1999, p.109, cat. 125.
Price: € 999 - $ 1.302 - £ 863
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Object 201058
Jar
Provenance: (Southeast) China, Zhangzhou (Swatow)
Dating: Late 16th century / first half 17th century
Jar with a wide, inset a glazed base and an angled shoulder. Decorated in underglaze blue.
Around the shoulder a continuous border of lotus leaves, on the body a continuous floral scroll.
Fitted with a floral engraved steel neck.
Dimensions:
Height (including steel neck) : 69 mm (3.35 inch)
Diameter: 87 mm (3.03 inch)
Diameter mouthrim: 38 mm (0.79 inch)
Diameter of footring: 54 mm (2.36 inch)
Condition: Fine crazing to the glaze.
Price: € 149 - $ 206 - £ 130
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
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