ewer; cover BM-Franks.154

Period:Ming dynasty Production date:1610-1630 (circa)
Materials:porcelain
Technique:glazed, applied, underglazed,
Subjects:landscape
Dimensions:Height: 30.50 centimetres

Description:
Pair of porcelain ewers and covers with underglaze blue decoration. Both these ewers have a slender body with waisted flaring neck and foot, with raised bands. The spout is characteristic for late Ming ewers, supported by a strut, but has an additional applied scroll at the base. The handle is in the form of a crude figure with arms stretched above the head, similarly terminating in an applied scroll instead of legs. The covers are domed with finial knobs and with flat edges. Both ewers are painted in underglaze blue with landscape and formal borders characteristic of ‘kraak’ export ware, and with formal rosettes of unknown origin round the centre.
IMG


Comments:Harrison-Hall 2001:The unconventional form of these ewers appears to be unique but is reminiscent of the ornate shapes found in Portuguese faience. The freely modelled figures applied to the shoulder, with their emaciated bodies and painful poses, bear resemblance to small contemporary ivory figures of the crucified Christ, which were made in quantity in the Portuguese colony of Goa in India; on these ewers, however, the figures are freely adapted to serve as handles.Compare with BM Franks.1397a.