Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Bowl with Deer
(China )
This bowl is decorated with six panels of long legged deer against formalized foliage. Deer were believed to live to a very great age and symbolized longevity. It was also thought that they were the only animal capable of finding the sacred fungus of longevity and immorality lingzhi. The inside is painted with simplified peach motifs, also symbols for longevity, and a deer at the center.
In 1603 a Portuguese carrack, the Santa Caterina, was captured by the Dutch in the Straits of Malacca and its cargo was sold at auction in Amsterdam on August 15th, 1604. Aboard the carrack was blue and white Chinese porcelain that became known in Dutch as kraakporselein, now referred to as Kraak Porcelain. This bowl is one such example of Kraak Porcelain. A similar bowl is depicted in a Dutch still-life painting by Isaac Soreau [WALTERS 37.1902].
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Doyle New York, New York, lot 3; purchased by Walters Art Museum, 2003.
Exhibitions
| 2015 | Gold of the Ancient Americas. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Geographies
China (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Diam: 5 7/8 in. (15 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, 2003
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
49.2819