A large porcelain bowl of ‘Kraak’ type, the deeply rounded sides rising from a short, straight foot and terminating in a gently scalloped rim. The interior of the bowl is painted in underglaze cobalt blue with a central vignette of a large carp leaping from foaming waves, and the sides are decorated with a boldly painted depiction of the ‘Three Friends of Winter”: pine, prunus and bamboo. The exterior of the bowl shows a continuous river landscape on one side of which two literati and their servant are depicted in a boat just below a seven-tiered pagoda. The other side shows a procession of figures led by three officials, followed by a six servants carrying umbrellas, a tea service, picnic boxes, a stove and a qin (lute) wrapped in a cloth. A rectangular panel inscribed with a poem separates the two scenes. Two further five-character inscriptions, together forming a rhyming couplet, are written randomly amongst the rocks and buildings to the left of the boat.
•‘Kraak’ porcelain, a type of Chinese export porcelain produced mainly from the Wanli reign (1563–1620) until around 1640, was among the first Chinese export ware to arrive in Europe in mass quantities. It is believed to be named after the Portuguese ships (carracks) in which it was transported from China. Given the fact that this large, handsome bowl is liberally inscribed with Chinese characters, which Europeans would have been unable to decipher, it seems likely that it was made either for the domestic market or for export to Japan, where indeed it was found. The poem inscribed on the side of the bowl is a shortened version of the famous Northern Song poem Chi bi fu (Rhapsody on Red Cliff) by Su Shi (1037 - 1101). The lines of the poem can be translated as: ‘Continuing the five-hundred-years-ago journey, River Stream and (reflected) moonlight still connects to the sky, Lingering at night with the moon rising from the Dong Mountain, Just like the autumn in the Renyu year (in the past)’. The inscription is signed Da Xue Shi, which literally translates as ‘Grand Scholar’ but this title should be interpreted as that of a senior advisor to the imperial court. The two-line rhyming couplet can be translated as: ‘Man traveling in the realm, Mountain falling from the sky beyond’. Inscriptions of the ‘Red Cliff’ poem are usually found on porcelain made at least two to four decades later, such as a blue and white deep bowl dated c. 1620-44 in the collection of the British Museum, which is inscribed with a much longer version of the poem. However, no other Kraak porcelain pieces with this specific subject matter appear to have come to light, making this delightful, freely painted bowl with its meticulously detailed decoration possibly unique.