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Hi all,
Sorry for the flood of new posts today - some of you know I tend to do these posts in waves. I'd like to share these two new plates I have and my latest research project. I usually like to keep these projects secret until I have something new to share that I've found, but I'll lay this one out since I've been thinking about them for a while, and since my pending posts are sort of piling up. I only have questions rather than answers. Photos will be shared using the "spoiler" function, and links will be shared using the text feature, bolded.
The following plates are interesting for their many cultural influences. Perhaps rather than the title, English inspired CEP, it should be something like "Japanese inspired English design on Chinese export porcelain for the Indian market." That's a headscratcher, huh?
- Arms: Indian market
- Source Design: Chamberlain Worcester (English)
- Source for Source Design: Japanese Imari
- Make: Chinese export
It is discussed HERE in China to Order, and in China for the West and CAP 2. All attribute this service to the last Mughal Emperor of India. The armorial can be blazoned, Azure a jamdar dagger lying fesswise with in chief two fish proper, with a Bengal tiger and elephant supporting. The motto is translated as "Vizier of the Kingdom, Right [arm] of the State, Bahadur." This is largely how Bahadur Shah II was attributed to this service. I have been unable to find the arms of Bahadur Shah II.
Also, the title, Bahadur, means only "Brave ; a hero ; at the end of a name a title = the English 'Honourable'". See The Golden Book of India at p. xix. While I'd love a royal connection, I am left wondering just how sound such an attribution is, as you'll see in the next piece. While it is counterintuitive for a collector to fight against a royal attribution, I am more interested in answers rather than value.
This plate can be classified as a pseudo-armorial. In place of the arms are the initials "CJW" for Constantjin Johan Wolterbeek. It is illustrated and discussed in the Chinese Armorial Porcelain for the Dutch Market. The supporters are a Bengal tiger and elephant, and the motto curiously reads "Malacca".
The service has a history of descending through the Wolterbeek family at least until 1921, when a Wolterbeek loaned the full service of 83 pieces to the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum in Amsterdam. This large deep plate is one of 8 that were originally part of the service. CJW was a Dutch Vice Admiral and director-general of the Navy, but served as governor of Malacca from 1818-1820.
Family tradition has described this service as having been given as a gift from the Sultan of Malacca in 1818 when the British ceded the colony to the Dutch. There is a clear Malacca connection with the motto, so the story is plausible.
However, the striking identical design, sky blue background of the shield, and Bengal tiger and elephant supporters lead me to confusion. Why would the service be virtually identical to the Mughal Emperor service save for the coat of arms used? The two services must be related. Anyway, after paging through a couple of Indian armorial books, still no answers.
Also for future posts, let me know if you prefer this format with the spoilers/text links. I know my posts can tend to get a bit lengthy and tend to jump all over the place.
Thanks for looking,
John
You are getting quite a collection, John!
It is very interesting to see the mix of cultural references but possibly the fact that there is that wide, almost global mix may be the reason for the similarities. This design-style was clearly fashionable amongst those who could afford it, therefore probably popular and desirable for many others especially anyone with aspirations to move up. It would be quite the talking-point to tell dinner companions that an Emperor has a similar service to yours.
On the other hand, presenting someone you want to impress or think well of you with a dinner service in pretty much the same pattern as an Emperor it is quite ingratiating, flattering, that kind of thing.
Obviously, I don't know much about these plates, and I may have misunderstood what you are asking, but could that be an explanation, or were people not allowed to have similar services? Maybe the initialled service was built out of replacement pieces for the original and sold cheaply? It is very interesting, but I don't know as you can tell. If you findout more, I would like to hear.
The spoilers are interesting, I haven't seen those before. Will they keep the pictures or are will they also disappear?
Thank you, Julia!
You might be right. I might be just trying to explain a coincidence. Although, I think the global mix can only speak to the Worcester decoration. I think the biggest coincidences are the heraldry, which includes:
- Identical Tiger/Elephant Supporters
- Identical Color Background for Shield
In heraldry, these features or elements are specific to a family. Although some might share similar features, like lions for the arms on British armorials, there are way too many coincidences here. The Wolterbeek family had no arms (they were a family of ministers and judges), so these are unrelated to CJW and must've come from somewhere. That's why the CJW service is a pseudo-armorial, The fact that the Bahadur service exists with the same armorial device and the same design is where my confusion comes in.
I think your suggestion on impressing someone with a dinner service that is identical to an emperor is interesting, too! But that would leave me with more questions, like why the Sultan of Malacca would've known about the service of the Mughal Emperor, and how CJW would've known that would be related.
I hope this makes sense. I will look more into this! My sneaking suspicion is that the Bahadur service is related to someone in Malacca rather than India, but it is just a theory.
I like that format you used. It's a nifty way of doing things.
Interesting post John, cross pollination of ideas and deigns hs been going on for centuries a you all know. Peter (I believe) just posted an image of a salesman sample of a Chinese plate with a half dozen or so different available patterns. I would suggest that the plates John has shown are of this type of ‘pick your own combination of stock designs’ of decoration. The Dutch and India plates may just be a case of two customers checking off the same boxes on the order sheet. Blend this with the knowledge of VOC and BEIC overlap in the1700’s of the China trade makes this in my view highly probable.
Ron
Thanks, John! I like it too. I like the link text option less, so I think I'll avoid that one where I can, but the spoiler format makes the post seem so much more friendly to read.
It might just be the photos, but the blue on the Badahur Shah II seems much more vibrant and less dark than the Dutch. I went to an exhibit of Mughal items at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, I think it was a travelling exhibit, the most splendid colors, the little jewel like paintings and inlaid pieces. I think Ron is right about the VOC reps having illustrated pattern books that the purchaser could choose and adjust/mix the patterns. That double handled dagger looks grusome to me and I'm a fan of action movies, might keep the Emperor's guests from getting rowdy. Sharon
Thank you, Ron! Yes, you may be right. Although, I think the issue is that the salesman sample pieces display border options that are common, and extant examples attest to the commonality of those borders, which makes sense since those were "check the box" borders. On this one, the decoration is identical to the Chamberlain Worcester pattern, and these two are the only services that exist so far in Chinese export porcelain. An original Chamberlain Worcester piece must have been sent to China with this order to get the decorations so precise. If it were just the Worcester decoration and different heraldry, I wouldn't have these questions, but the Dutch service having that pseudo-armorial design seems to be too much of a coincidence.
Another Chamberlain Worcester example:
https://www.waddingtons.ca/auction/ceramics-bronzes-clocks-lighting-jun-17-2010/gallery/lot/456/
Thank you, Sharon! I actually visited the MFAH last month and I think I saw that exhibit you mentioned. Visiting was such a great experience. They had the Philadelphia export punch bowl that sparked another theory of mine related to my cider jug!
On the photos, you've caught me! The Bahadur tray hasn't arrived, but the Wolterbeek plate arrived last night so I got too impatient and posted this very late last night while thinking about it. The photos of the tray are from the auction's listing. It was actually misidentified as English Imari, and I was the only bidder! I will retake the photos once they arrive.
It has many crackles. It's not something I've seen before so extensively, but undoubtedly on Chinese porcelain. It was misidentified as English Imari, so I was able to get it at a significant discount. It has the exact same colors as the Dutch market piece.
It's a, beautiful example. Never seen this design before.
Congratulations my friend.
Mark
Thank you, Mark! 😀 I was very lucky to have gotten both of these this year. As far as I know, these are the only two services made with the design.
The reference with the Wolterbeek plate (Dutch market) is "Chinese Armorial Porcelain for the Dutch Market" by Dr. Jochem Kroes.
The reference with the Bahadur tray (Indian market) is "Chinese Armorial Porcelain" volume II by David Howard, which is funny because the book is primarily for English market services. It's also discussed in China for the West and China to Order (here: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/852775/147/).
Thank you for adding the PDF,a very interesting and well researched book.
Vic
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