Lot 6 A Chinese blue and white 'Elephant' kendi

A Chinese blue and white 'Elephant' kendi

Wanli

未知

€ 8.000 – € 12.000

WH: H. 20 cm, W. 15,6 cm, D. 10,4 cm

未知

Finely modelled after a recumbent elephant, the raised head turned upwards with the tusks ingeniously fashioned as spouts, the compressed body draped with a tasselled saddle cloth painted on either side with a horse standing within a fenced paddock, reserved within an octofoil panel against a blue-washed diaper ground. The back moulded with an octofoil collar incorporating three ruyi-head projections, from which rises a flared, cylindrical neck painted with flowering prunus branches beneath paired crescent motifs. The details of the elephant rendered with characteristic simplicity, the eyes and facial features delicately outlined in underglaze cobalt blue.
Kendis of elephant form rank amongst the most imaginative productions of the late Ming export kilns at Jingdezhen. The form derives from the Southeast Asian kendi, a water vessel designed for pouring without a handle, adapted by Chinese potters into a variety of sculptural forms for export markets throughout maritime Asia. The elephant, long associated with strength, wisdom and peace, was particularly admired in both Buddhist and courtly contexts, while the horse depicted on the saddle cloth may allude to official success, military prowess or the exchange of tribute animals.
此軍持塑作臥象形，象首高昂，雙牙巧製為流。象身扁圓，背披流蘇鞍毯，兩面於八瓣葵形開光內各繪一匹駿馬立於圍欄之中，開光外以淡青花錦地紋為飾。象背塑八瓣葵形座，外伸三枚如意雲頭，其上承外撇筒形長頸，頸部繪折枝梅花，上飾成對月牙紋。象眼及面部細節以青花勾勒，筆法簡潔而傳神。
象形軍持堪稱晚明景德鎮外銷瓷中最富想像力的器形之一。其造型源自東南亞傳統軍持，一種無柄注水器，後經中國陶工改製成各式動物及雕塑形態，遠銷海上亞洲各地。象自古象徵力量、智慧與和平，在佛教及宮廷文化中尤受推崇；鞍毯上的駿馬則可能寓意仕途騰達、武功顯赫，亦或與貢馬及珍禽異獸的交流相關。
Reference:
Christie's New York, 21 January 2009, lot 165 for a near-identical example. (sold USD 47.500) (link)
Bonhams Skinner, 27 March 2023, lot 4 for a closely related example. (sold USD 25.050) (link)
A near-identical example is depicted on a Dutch mid-seventeenth Century still-life monogrammed 'W.K.', thought to be of the oeuvre of Willem Kalf. (See attached image, courtesy of Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Weimar.)
Literature:
M. Rinaldi, 'Kraak Porcelain. A Moment in the History of Trade', 1989, pp. 180-181.
R. Krahl, 'Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul', vol. II, illus. 1293-1295.
M. Medley, 'Illustrated Catalogue of Porcelains in Undrglaze Blue and Copper Red in The Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art', illus. A665.
Provenance:
S. Marchant & Son, London, with their label to the rear.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above on 8 October 2004 and accompanied by a copy of their original invoice. (see added scans)
Exhibited & published:
S. Marchant & Son, London, included in their October 2004 exhibition, 'Ming Blue & White: Jiajing–Chongzhen Including Dated Examples', and published in the accompanying catalogue, pp. 68-69, no. 47.