Twin bottle

Jingdezhen, China, late 17th century

Porcelain, underglaze painting in cobalt, European metal mounts.

H: 21 cm

O 143

Purchased from Ludwig Glenk, Berlin in 1911.

This porcelain bottle in the form of two crossed gourds is decorated with cobalt underglaze paintings of a plant bearing berries and flowers. Each mouth is covered with white metal mounts and stoppers engraved with the letters A and B.

The twin bottle dates from the period of Emperor Kangxi (1661–1720), a member of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Atypical for the Chinese market, the object was produced for European customers, likely based on a Dutch glass model. The bottle was used as an oil and vinegar cruet. While this porcelain bottle was produced in China for the Dutch market, it was also popular elsewhere in Europe, as seen in the copy produced in Meissen in 1725–1730. Both the Meissen copy and Chinese original are in the holdings of the Dresden State Art Collections. Analogous examples can be found in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and originally in the Wallenstein family collections at Mnichovo Hradiště chateau.

This cruet is an example of a Chinese export adapted from a European design that was – like other Chinese imports – later imitated by European ceramic and porcelain manufacturers. The reason why it was copied lay not solely in the type of bottle, but also in the popular material, including the blue-and-white ground ornamentation. (JMl)