145.
A ‘FAMILLE VERTE’ WALL FOUNTAIN
Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, late 17th – early 18th century
39,5 cm high
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 3990.
The shape of this container is inspired by European metal and earthenware prototypes. See for example the cistern with cover and basin realized in Rouen, circa 1700, and now in the Victoria & Albert Museum (inv. C.246-1914).
Usually this kind of wall fountain has a cover and a basin (see W.R. Sargent, Treasures of Chinese Export Ceramics from the Peabody Essex Museum, Yale 2012, p. 179, n. 82, for a complete set in the Peabody Museum in Salem). A nearly identical decorated pair of wall fountains belonged to the collection of Augustus the Strong (1670-1733), now in the Porzellansammlung in Dresden (inv. PO 3639-3640), both with cover and a gilt metal spout in the mouth of the beast which in the piece in the Duca di Martina Museum has the character 王 (“king”) between the horns. Compare also with the very similar piece in Mompesson House, Wiltshire (inv. n. NT 723472) and with the related item (with cover) in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (inv. n. OC.37 & A-1938).
A wall fountain with a similar shape was made for the Duke of Chandos in about 1720 (D.S. Howard, The Choice of the Private Trader, the Private Market. Chinese Export Porcelain illustrated from the Hodroff Collection, London 1994, p. 215, n. 252).
