10.
A ‘BLUE AND WHITE’ EWER WITH SILVER MOUNT
the porcelain, Ming dynasty, Wanli period; the silver mount, European, 19th century
27,7 cm high
Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, collezione Placido de Sangro (1829-1891).
Inv. n. 3362.
The ewer is painted with idyllic scenes depicting scholars with their male servant carrying a wrapped musical instrument, qin.
Skilfully playing the qin, was amongst the Four Scholarly Accomplishments, expected from an educated scholar in Imperial China, alongside mastering Chinese chess (weiqi), calligraphy and painting.
The form of this ewer is inspired by central and middle-eastern metalware (see for example the turkish or iranian silver inlaid bronze ewer in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, illustrated in C. Shimizu (edited by), L’Odyssée de la porcelaine chinoise. Collections du Musée national de Céramique, Sèvres et due musée national Adrien Dubouché, Limoges, exhibition catalogue, Paris 2003).
Similarly shaped ewers were made in China in addition to porcelain also in bronze, cloisonné-enamel and jade.
Chinese porcelain was highly valued and admired in the Middle-East and in Europe. Often when a piece has been damaged, typically at its extremities such as handles, spout, neck and cover, it would have been metal-mounted and repaired for use rather than being discarded. Many such examples can be found in the historical collection of the Topkapi Saray in Istanbul.
The museum also owns a later ‘blue and white’ ewer with a nearly identical silver mount.
