Cup and Saucer

Dateca. 1720

MediumHard-paste porcelain

DimensionsCup: D: 2 3/8"; OH: 1 7/16"; Saucer: D: 3 5/8"; OH: 7/8"

Credit LineGift of Beatrix T. Rumford

Object number2009-191,A&B

DescriptionFluted and shaped Chinese porcelain cup and saucer decorated in underglaze blue featuring six panels divided by crosshatching. The cup is shaped by 18 flutes and stands on a 1/8" footring. The six panels wrap the exterior; the interior of the rim bears a blue line, marked with dashes at the fluted corners. The well features a riverscape with a boatman poling between two shores that feature a building and a pagoda. The center of the saucer depicts a large peony behind a fence and an arching willow tree. It is shaped by 24 flutes and decorated again in six panels. The panels present fishing scenes and individuals.Label TextThese pieces are decorated in a style known in the West today as “kraak” or “kraakware.” The name derives from the Dutch word for an early type of Portuguese ship. Produced during the17th and early 18th centuries, kraakware is characterized by the thinness of the porcelain and a standardized type of decoration which includes divided panels organized around a central scene. Originally intended for Chinese and Southeast Asian consumption, it became popular with Europeans. It was modified slightly to suit Western taste. Examples have been found archaeologically on 17th-century sites in Virginia. This cup and saucer, first owned by Mary Lefevre and her husband, David Deshler, in Philadelphia, were likely purchased around the time of their marriage in 1739.ProvenanceMiss Beatrix T. Rumford, 88 Sycamore Lane, Lexington, VA 24450