Untitled

Cornelis Pronk

ca. 1740 · Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware) · Asian Art

This water cistern is a rare example of Chinese porcelain with a design attributed to Cornelis Pronk (1691–1759), a Dutch draftsman working for the Dutch East-India Company (VOC). In 1734, the artist was commissioned to make sets of drawings for the decoration of Chinese porcelain, which were sent to China in 1736. Various porcelain dinner services and tea sets in underglaze blue and polychrome enamel were thereafter produced in China and sent back to the Netherlands. Known as “The Archer,” the design on the current piece is among four attributed to Pronk. This work highlights a significant moment when a Western artist became directly involved in creating designs for Chinese export porcelain during the mid-eighteenth century.

Artist

Cornelis Pronk

Date

ca. 1740

Medium

Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware)

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Shirley M. Mueller, 2021