Description:
Chinese export porcelain cruet set decorated in the Famille rose palette with floral sprays in pink, green, yellow, and gilding. Cruet sets formed an elegant part of 18th-century dining rituals; most often these forms are seen in silver and glass, and less so in ceramic. Chinese porcelain cruets sets are known as early as the late 17th century, and occur in several color variations including underglaze blue, Chinese Imari, and famille rose. This example’s tray or stand is decorated with four different flowers: prunus or plum flower, peony, lotus, and chysanthemum, in the corners, and a lotus in the center. David Howard notes that this form was made both as part of armorial dinner services and separately like this example, although the numbers known are not great. Christiaan Jörg has discovered a Dutch East India Company order for porcelain cruets in 1764, that specified “2 oval and 2 round containers and 4 small jugs for oil, vinegar, pepper, and mustard, each with its spoon.” During the 18th century, dining à la française (in the French manner) required the diner to serve himself from dishes located close to his plate. Servants removed dishes, refilled wine glasses, and provided condiments in cruet sets such as this example, which graced the side table of a formal dinner until called into use. This rare, complete cruet set is composed of four baluster-shaped containers (two with long spouts, one with a pierced cover, and one with a triangular lip) and a four-lobed tray. The spouted containers usually held oil and vinegar, while the other vessels dispensed condiments such as dry mustard or pepper, or liquid sauces such as soy, ketchup, fish sauce, or cayenne. Seventeenth-century Japanese porcelain examples intended for the Dutch market are labeled “O” for oil (olie) and “A” for vinegar (azÿn).
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+69.0046 |
