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Lot Essay
Small Chinese porcelain tureens were made in whimsical shapes like mouse and crab and eggplant; this clog form is very rare. Pairs - without stands - were in the Garbisch collection, sold Sotheby's Pokety Farms, 23 May 1980, lot 438, and sold Sotheby's London 23 March 1965, lot 157, and 4 April 1967, lot 137. Another pair, without covers or stands, was in the collection of Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt (exhibited at China Institute 1973-74 and illustrated by Le Corbeiller in A Study in Double Reflections, p 67) and (with later covers) exhibited by The Chinese Porcelain Co (Spring 2003).
Small models of shoes were made in 18th century English and Dutch Delft, sometimes dated and/or initialed as betrothal or wedding presents, and kept near the hearth for good luck. But these Delft examples were in the form of ladies leather or fabric slippers, with pointed toes and heels - as were the 18th century French porcelain slipper-form snuffboxes or bonbonnieres.
The wooden clog - so practical for a marshy landscape - developed in the lowland countries of northern Europe as early as the 13th century, from which examples survive. Closely associated with Holland, one of China's earliest and highest volume trading partners, the clog form perhaps makes sense as an amusing special porcelain order for a Dutch East India Company director or investor.
Small models of shoes were made in 18th century English and Dutch Delft, sometimes dated and/or initialed as betrothal or wedding presents, and kept near the hearth for good luck. But these Delft examples were in the form of ladies leather or fabric slippers, with pointed toes and heels - as were the 18th century French porcelain slipper-form snuffboxes or bonbonnieres.
The wooden clog - so practical for a marshy landscape - developed in the lowland countries of northern Europe as early as the 13th century, from which examples survive. Closely associated with Holland, one of China's earliest and highest volume trading partners, the clog form perhaps makes sense as an amusing special porcelain order for a Dutch East India Company director or investor.