94.
A ‘BLUE AND WHITE’ EWER WITH SILVER MOUNT
the porcelain Qing dynasty, Kangxi period; the mount European, 19th century
33,3 cm high
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 3365.
The ewer was made for export to the Islamic market as demonstrated by the extant related ewers in the historical collections of the Topkapi Saray, Istanbul (R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, 3 voll., London 1986, nn. 2152-2153).
Originally the ewer would have had a porcelain cover, but it is typical for such vessels to have metal mounts to replace and to repair cover, handle and spout, the areas most likely to be damaged. These would have served the purpose of preserving the prized porcelain as well as adding further adornment. In the case of this ewer the silver mount was made in Europe.
A very similar ewer, also with a European silver mount, is in the MAK Museum, Vienna (inv. OR 618).
