Lot Essay
A similar vase sold in these Rooms, 4 Nov. 1987, lot 395.
The arms are those of Castille and Leon quartered, the personal arms of King Philip II of Spain (1556-1598). They were almost certainly copied from a coin which may explain the use of a 'pilgrim flask' form, which is rare in Chinese porcelain of this period. The form is probably derived from a western asiatic prototype similar to the Persian bronze pilgrim flask of the thirteenth century in the British Museum (see D.Barrett, Islamic Metalwork of the British Museum, 1949, pl.9)
The earliest pieces for the Spanish market of blue and white are believed to have been shipped from the Spanish base at Luzon in the Philippines, via the Manilla galleon annual sailing to Acapulco, and then to Spain by the New World treasure fleets. However, the interesting thing about this piece is that it appears to date from the Wanli period. From 1580 to 1640, the Spanish crown had sovereignity over Portugal, and therefore it is perfectly possible that this vase came to Europe along the regular Portuguese route from South-East Asia waters via the major Portuguese entrepot at Goa in India.
Philip II was an avid collector of Chinese porcelain; the royal collection is known to have included at least three thousand pieces; however, the inventory of Philip's estate does not record a collection of such magnificence. It is probable that the bulk of the collection remained in Portugal at the end of the union between the two crowns and was later dispersed. However in the case of these pilgrim flasks we can be almost certain that they were once part of the King's collection, as they bear the royal coat-of-arms. This also makes them amongst the very earliest datable pieces of Spanish armorial porcelain cf.M.Beurdeley, Porcelain of the East India Companies, 1962, p.86 and D.Howard and J.Ayers, China for the West, 1978 I, p.53
The arms are those of Castille and Leon quartered, the personal arms of King Philip II of Spain (1556-1598). They were almost certainly copied from a coin which may explain the use of a 'pilgrim flask' form, which is rare in Chinese porcelain of this period. The form is probably derived from a western asiatic prototype similar to the Persian bronze pilgrim flask of the thirteenth century in the British Museum (see D.Barrett, Islamic Metalwork of the British Museum, 1949, pl.9)
The earliest pieces for the Spanish market of blue and white are believed to have been shipped from the Spanish base at Luzon in the Philippines, via the Manilla galleon annual sailing to Acapulco, and then to Spain by the New World treasure fleets. However, the interesting thing about this piece is that it appears to date from the Wanli period. From 1580 to 1640, the Spanish crown had sovereignity over Portugal, and therefore it is perfectly possible that this vase came to Europe along the regular Portuguese route from South-East Asia waters via the major Portuguese entrepot at Goa in India.
Philip II was an avid collector of Chinese porcelain; the royal collection is known to have included at least three thousand pieces; however, the inventory of Philip's estate does not record a collection of such magnificence. It is probable that the bulk of the collection remained in Portugal at the end of the union between the two crowns and was later dispersed. However in the case of these pilgrim flasks we can be almost certain that they were once part of the King's collection, as they bear the royal coat-of-arms. This also makes them amongst the very earliest datable pieces of Spanish armorial porcelain cf.M.Beurdeley, Porcelain of the East India Companies, 1962, p.86 and D.Howard and J.Ayers, China for the West, 1978 I, p.53