Shards2011may

A Newsletter of the China Students’ Club of Boston Volume 14, Issue 3 www.chinastudentsclub.org

May 2011

A Message from Our President Dear fellow members, Thanks to all of you for helping to make possible another year of enriching presentations in the ceramics field. Your contributions through membership are the only way we can pay for use of The College Club and for speaker fees. Special thanks go to CSC members Stuart Slavid, Bill Sargent, David Stevens, and Louise Richardson for preparing lectures for the Club at no cost.

This helps immensely in keeping our expenses down. In order to continue to keep our treasury healthy we need to have each of you renew your membership soon.

Please keep in mind that your name will not be included in the Blue Book if your check is not received by July 1, 2011. Membership renewal forms can be printed out at our website www.chinastudentsclub.org. Click on join and then click on membership application form to download the form. If you can join us for the Annual Meeting and Tea on May 26th, please bring your checks along and hand them directly to our treasurer, Greg Lovell. I noted in the previous Shards message that Greg would be stepping down as Treasurer, but I am happy to report that he has agreed to stay on for an-

other year. Thank you Greg!

At the Annual Meeting and Tea on May 26th, the Vivian Hawes memorial lecture will be “The Legacy of the Jones Museum”—don’t miss it! I look forward to seeing you all there as we finish up the year with elections and annual reports from members of the Board.

Our 75th anniversary exhibition will open in September at the Discover Portsmouth Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I know many of you will be contributing pieces from your collections and I thank you for sharing your treasures and your expertise. This exhibition will give us a chance to reflect on the development of the China Students’ Club since its founding in 1934 and to appreciate the diversity and significance of wares collected by our current members. It will also help encourage new members to join us! Please plan to attend a special opening for CSC members in the afternoon of September 17th.

I look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting and Tea later this month!

Best wishes, Nan Wolverton, President

Chinese Export Ceramics: New Research and New Research Techniques

By Bill Sargent Editor’s notice: we thank Bill Sargent for providing us with the following summary of his talk.

Numbers in square brackets refer to the illustrations. All pieces are from the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA. In November 2011, a book on 250 masterpieces of Chinese ceramics for the Western market will be published by the Peabody Essex Museum. In addition to new information that has come out of research on each piece, this lecture revolves around how a curator (or collector, or dealer) knows what he or she knows, each aspect of the question forming a framework for discussion. Education, travel, connections, a suspicious mind,

longevity in the field, perseverance, serendipity, the internet, good files and better interns, and the willingness to take a few risks are among the values that a curator brings to research and to the discovery of new information.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD INTERNS One of the earliest (c. 1520-1540) and rarest Chinese porcelains reflecting Eurropean influences is a large dish with the IHS monogram [1]; there are five other known examples. I wrote about it for Arts of Asia some time ago and said there was a “crown of thorns containing the monogram ‘IHS’.” This was the accepted deContinued on page 2

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Chinese Export Ceramics: New Research and New Research Techniques Continued from page 1 scription of the design. Femke Dierkes, a Dutch intern at PEM, discovered that the Jesuit monogram has a very specific design that, aside from the use of the monogram, is not reflected in any part of the dish. The crown of thorns used by the Jesuits is almost always depicted as two branches entwined, and does not appear until the 19th century. The motif on the dish is not a crown of thorns but a laurel wreath, tied at the bottom with a bow and crossed at the top. So we have corrected one glaring error, and opened up further questions—if not a Jesuit emblem, where did the design come from? Multiple versions of the IHS monogram that are carved in stone and simulate the look of broken branches (as on this dish) surrounded by a labarum (bound leaves) appear on the façade of the Monastery of Jerónimos, Lisbon, built between 1502 and 1580, as well as in Mexican sources, both published and painted.

QUESTIONING THE STATUS QUO One of the greatest mysteries in Chinese export porcelain (1600-1615) is a small group of wares decorated with a shield containing a seven-headed hydra and the Latin motto Sapienti Nihil Novum (nothing is new to the wise). This is an extremely rare motif appearing only on three or four other Chinese examples, and on a Persian copy of a Chinese bowl. The motif of the hydra begins at least in the Sumerian early dynastic period of c. 2800-2600 BCE, and is later used as a symbol of Satan in the Book of Revelation 12:1-9. The presence of human heads on the porcelains however is a rarely used variation, except on the facade of the Sao Paulo church in Macao, where it is found in relief on the stone façade. I had been theorizing for years that the plate [2] was made c. 1620 for the church, as the façade was built in that year. Perhaps the existence of a humanoid

[1] Detail of charger with [2] Detail of Charger with “IHS”, 1520-1540, 20.4” hydra motif, 1575-1610, 17.5”

head in the carving and on the dish, as well as the dating of both to c. 1620, might lead to acceptance of the theory.

A teapot of 1770-1775 [3] has the monogram “RP” and a complex cartouche within which is a cobbler at his bench and the legend, “I must work for leather is dear” as a motif, which is also found on a mug in the British Museum with the legend “VIVAT Richard Phillcox.” The BM published its collection in 1994 and said that the cartouche was taken from a trade card and that he drank his rye out of the mug because it also bore the legend “VIVAT RYE” [Long Live Rye]. I wondered how a simple cobbler could afford such a fancy trade card, and why would he say “Long Live ME,” and why would he drink rye out of a beer mug. So I Googled him, and I found his name is spelled “Philcox” and the description given by the BM was not nearly as interesting as the facts explained by a historian in Rye prior to 1868 when the story was printed by the Sussex Archaeological Society. Philcox was a cobbler in Rye who took care of a “gentleman” who, on his way to Asia, had escaped the sinking of an East Indiaman off Rye Bay. That gentleman eventually made it to China and had a service of porcelain made in thanks. There is more to the story of course, which space does not permit us to delve into here.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAVEL A rare covered punch bowl and matching stand was offered by a London dealer as an unknown Swedish scene [4]…. but I knew what it was, I had been Continued on page 3

[3] “Richard Philcox” Teapot, 1770-1775, 8¾” handle to spout, Gift of Carl L. Crossman, in memory of Priscilla Waldo Papin

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Chinese Export Ceramics: New Research and New Research Techniques Continued from page 2 there. It was the Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm which I had visited twice. The original pavilion was built by King Adolf Fredrik (1710-1771) as a temporary folly erected for the birthday of Queen Louisa Ulrika (17201782) and presented on July 24, 1753. It was filled with lacquered pictures and furniture, silk covered sofas, reverse paintings on glass, porcelains and nodding head clay figures. It was built of wood and transported secretly to the site, covered with a coarse yellow canvas, decked with bells hanging from the roof, and orange trees in Chinese porcelain jardinières.

The Queen was so fond of it that plans were immediately begun to improve the building. Additional supporting buildings were constructed including a Confidence, a “Pavillion des Dames,” and his own “Pavillion du P[rince] R[oyal].” Those buildings were completed in 1763 and designs were then immediately begun to replace the temporary Chinese pavilion with a permanent one. On June 2, 1763, they laid the foundation stone of the permanent replacement to the central building, all of which can be visited today. It was designed by the architect Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz (1716-1796) and completed in 1769. This bowl, cover, and stand depict the original structure torn down in 1763 and the two adjacent structures that were finished in 1763, so the scene can be fairly well dated to that year.

When the Confidence was completed in 1763, a dinner was held to celebrate the event and it was re-

corded that the table was set with Chinese porcelain. It would be delightful to think that this punch bowl was part of those festivities. The bowl is so important in fact, that the King of Sweden visited PEM to see it.

THE VALUE OF HAVING ASSOCIATED COLLECTIONS Having a rich collection at PEM available to draw parallels between objects is an important aspect of research. A porcelain crab tureen (1736-1795) has the same shape as one being constructed by a potter in one of a series of gouache paintings on the production of Chinese porcelain. This tureen is one of only three known examples, and its eyes are formed like dumbbells so that they wiggle when the lid is lifted.

Two Figures of Monks (1740-1750) [5] donated

by Mrs. Copeland, but not included in the first book on her collection, have four-character marks impressed on their backs reading Hing Yun Luen, probably the potter’s name. Another album of gouache paintings in PEM’s collection has a page titled Hao chung (Monk). Inscribed on the interior cover of the album is, “I bought these Chinese drawings for 16 Guineas at the Auction of Mr. Martin the Supercargos Effects in March 1747, P. Yorke.” We do not know who Mr. Yorke was but Martin was a supercargo on the East India Company ship Hastings in 1745, and was Chief of Council that year.

BEING THERE There are times when one assumes there will be Continued on page 4

[4] Chinese Pavilion, Drottningholm, punch bowl, cover and underdish, c. 1763, Underdish: 22 in. diam., Tureen: 12.5 in. X 16.25 in. diameter

[5] Two Figures of Monks, 1740-1750, Four character mark, impressed on their backs: Hing Yun Luen, 6.5 in. h. Gift, The Copeland Collection

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Chinese Export Ceramics: New Research and New Research Techniques Continued from page 3 decorated on porcelain. The alligator hunt is the one nothing at a particular sale and so one might avoid go- from the book, the other scenes have yet to be identiing; but often one might be mistaken to do so. The Doyle fied. sale in New York of the F. Gordon Morrill Collection was a landmark event, but the collection was primarily of imperial wares, not export. Nothing illustrated in the catalog would have applied to the Asian export art department. But I was in New York so I stopped in to see the material anyway. There I found an unillustrated lot, a blue and white charger [6] with a view of a seacoast city described in a banner above as “Deslad Eymoey,” a view of Amoy as confirmed later by our intern Femke Dierkes. Without the inscription, one might consider this a domestic market piece, not export.

The International Ceramics Fair in London had long been a good source for viewing—and occasionally acquiring—export porcelains. But eventually there were no dealers in Asian material left and, again, I was tempted not to go. But I went to view it before a dinner with the organizers and found a Dehua Buddha lion that had been over-decorated by Preissler with a view copied from Theodore De Bry in “Voyages to America” (1591). This [6] Amoy Charger, 1680-1700, 18.9” is probably the earliest scene of the Americas to be found

David Stevens on “Characteristics of Qing Blue and White Porcelain Useful in Discriminating Early from Later Pieces” Reviewed by Jeff Brown It is always great fun to hear from one of our members and such was the case on March 24th when CSC member David Stevens discussed “Characteristics of Qing Blue and White Porcelain Useful in Discriminating Early from Later Pieces.”

Ever since its arrival on the docks of the Dutch East India Company in the early 17th century, Chinese blue and white porcelain has been highly prized and much sought after. The blue and white wares were produced all through the Qing Dynasty (1644-1916), but it was the earlier pieces (1644-1795) that seemed most desirable and, when there was a great resurgence of interest in it during the Aesthetic Movement of the 1860s-1870s, there was simply not enough to meet the demand. Dave even found a period advertisement from Liberty’s of London displaying “modern” Chinese porcelain done in the style and taste of the previous centuries to fulfill the

fashionable homeowner’s decorating needs. How does one tell the difference? This question has fascinated Dave, a retired professor of psychology, and he decided to approach it not so much aesthetically, but empirically and scientifically, using simple methods of observation in trying to discern “early” from “late”.

First to be discussed were reign marks that Dave observed may not correspond to the period of the production of the piece. Some of the finest blue and white was produced during the later part of the reign of Kangxi (1662-1722), yet there is seldom a reign mark on a piece of Kangxi export porcelain: if there is one, be a bit suspicious. But if there is one, it invariably appears as a hand-painted six character mark within a painted double circle or ring. Four character marks or those that appear to be stamped by a seal suggest later production.

Continued on page 5

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Characteristics of Qing Blue and White Porcelain Continued from page 4 Look for a line quality that is consistent with that drawn by a brush; stamped lines are usually broken up. There may also be other types of images on the reverse of a piece which often carried auspicious meanings or were hallmarks that supposedly indicated for which hall in the Imperial Palace the piece was intended. Both auspicious symbols and hallmarks were often used on 19th century “revival” pieces as well as on earlier ones.

Dave also addressed the issue of decoration on the reverse side of plates. These often consist of flowering branches and sprigs around the backside of the rim and were routinely applied up until the 1740s. The earlier ones are more elaborate and detailed, the later ones become more simplified over time. Nineteenth century pieces sometimes do carry reverse decoration which includes such imagery as bamboo and flying bats (an auspicious creature). Period backside decoration should be consistent with that on the rest of the piece.

Dave went on to discuss the texture and color of the paste and the glaze. Earlier unglazed body areas (such as on a footrim) have a smooth texture and often a straw color, but the straw color can appear on later pieces under the glaze. Molding on earlier pieces may be better defined and carries through from the front to the back; it may not on 19th century pieces which are often more crudely potted. As to the height of a bowl’s footrim in relation to its age, Dave’s conclusion is that there is no correlation between these two factors. The

same goes for the “color” of the blue. Again, in spite of much discusion over the years on this subject, Dave’s observation is that there seems to be much variation in the blues used on early pieces, especially on utilitarian wares.

Other observations include the depiction of clothing, hairstyles, facial characteristics and botanical features—all can be clues to the time of production; finer detail and botanical features are more accurate on earlier pieces. In addition, the dragon—often-used decorative motif and symbol of the emperor—on later images has scales rendered with dots of pigment at intersecting lines. The dots usually have a pit or bubble in them. On the “cracked ice” pattern, earlier pieces are more detailed with multiple lines of the “cracked” ice, whereas later pieces are much more sloppily rendered.

Also, late copies of early forms are not exact replicas; the proportions and sizes are sometimes off. A good knowledge of early forms is necessary.

Finally, Dave described his scientific observations on the density of early porcelain: he has examined about 200 glazed pieces and calculated their specific gravity using the basic physics formula: Specific gravity = weight in air/(weight in air—weight in water) and has failed to find any early porcelain with a specific gravity of less than 2.28. Certainly a new approach of authenticating a piece that has not occured to many collectors!

Right: Sprig decorations: left, early Kangxi (1690-1710); right: late Kangxi or Yongzheng (1720-1725) Above: Kangxi reign marks: left, of the period; right, 19th c.

Right: Footrims: left, Kangxi - smooth right, 19th c., pitted

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Message from the Editor After ten mostly pleasurable years of editing Shards, I now find myself procrastinating more and more whenever I have to start working on the next issue. My conclusion is that it is time to resign from the job, so this is my last issue.

A bit of history: in January of 1998, Jeff Brown started editing and publishing a well-received newsletter for the China Students’ Club, which he entitled “Shards.”

He continued putting out the newsletter until June 2001, at which time I volunteered to take over the computerbased publication duties. Being retired and having had editing experience in my previous computer-related job were my main qualifications.

I will conclude with expressions of thanks to the many CSCers who have helped me over the years. First and foremost Jeff Brown, who continued to report on our meetings and make other contributions, such as reports on ceramics fairs and exhibitions. On the rare occasions when Jeff was unavailable, some other members, including Dave Stevens and Debbie Bassett, have stepped into the breach.

Other notable helpers have been: · Faithful reviewers of the finished newsletters,

who always managed to find errors that needed to be corrected: my wife Dora, Jeff Brown (again!), and all the Club’s presidents who have served during my tenure: Nancy Smith, Jim Kaufman, Carolyn Parsons Roy, Amanda Lange, and Nan Wolverton (it is amazing how many reviewers can read the same copy yet find errors missed by the others!) · Performers of the physical labors required to produce and distribute the newsletters: taking the master copy to the printers, collecting the finished newsletters, folding and sealing them, sticking on address labels and stamps, and then putting them in the mailbox. These included Jim Brown and our various corresponding secretaries: Johanna McBrien, Tara Webber, and Jo Ann Brown. · Jim Mattozzi, who has posted the newsletters on our website. · Gail Homer, who has contributed many reviews of exhibitions she had visited and books she had read.

To all these, and any others whom I have overlooked (my apologies!), my heartfelt thanks! Without you I would have quit after one year, not ten.

Yon Bard

The New York Ceramics Fair Report by Jeff Brown I was in New York for Antiques Week in January and got to work at the Ceramics Fair and attend several of its superb lectures. Here are a few notes and observations: The Ceramics Fair itself was held in a different venue this year due to renovations at its former home, the National Academy of Design on Fifth Avenue. The new location was the Bohemian National Hall on East 73rd Street and it seemed to have worked out quite well.

Unfortunately, for one reason or another, about ten dealers dropped out from last year’s event and, frankly, I think they shall regret it as I heard nothing but praise from both exhibitors and visitors alike for this new venue (and saw a fair share of “Sold” red dots on items). The opening night party was well attended and the wares from ancient to modern were all just fantastic.

The show ran from Tuesday through Sunday and on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday there was a

range of fine lectures delivered by scholars and specialist dealers on a wide variety of topics. Time only allowed me to attend three of the talks.

On Wednesday, Leslie Grigsby, Curator of Ceramics and Glass at Winterthur, spoke on “What’s for Dinner? Tableware and Traditions in 18th Century Britain and America.” Leslie discussed the dressing of a table with both Chinese export porcelain and various European ceramics of the period. Our idea of a matched dinner service really didn’t occur until early in the 18th century when a complete set (200-300 pieces, or more) was a status symbol for only the wealthiest and most noble households. Gentry and members of the rising merchant and professional classes tried to emulate these genteel trappings, but seemed to have accumulated their dinner services over time, adding to them when finances allowed, and matching patterns as best they could. As Continued on page 7

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The New York Ceramics Fair Continued from page 6 for setting the table, there seems to have been no end of household manuals and cookery books that instructed the hostess in the proper way to lay a table. For most of the century, dinner was served in two courses comprising many dishes. The table was laid with serving dishes in a very formal, symmetrical pattern: what was served in a pair of oval shaped dishes at one end of the table was mirrored at the opposite end, even the color of the food was supposed to match. The center of an especially grand table would sometimes be decorated with small formal or classically-themed temples and landscapes, with a cast of characters either formed of molded sugar or marzipan, or porcelain, all a visual delight for the dinner guests. What held true in Britain, certainly held true for her colonies, for throughout most of the century American newspapers advertised regularly the arrival of matching dinner and tea services “neat and fashionable and at the most reasonable rates” for all those aspiring to gentility. Which leads me to my next talk: On Thursday I attended a lecture on “Chinese Armorial Porcelain for the American Market” by Ronald Fuchs, III, Curator of the Reeves Collection of Ceramics at Washington and Lee University. Many of us probably remember Ron who recently addressed the CSC on the Reeves Collection. His lecture at the Ceramics Fair dovetailed nicely with the previous one I had just enjoyed by Leslie Grigsby. Ron began with a brief history of coats of arms and heraldry. These began as identifying shields or “graphics,” if you will, for knights in battle or at a joust when their armor rendered them unrecognizable. Long after the martial aspect of armorials died away, the granting of a coat of arms by the College of Heralds remained a highly sought after status symbol announcing to the world that one had “arrived.” And what better medium for this emblem of importance than a vast and expensive bespoke porcelain dinner service, with each article emblazoned with these arms? If one was ordered from China, it took about two years for it to arrive. This status symbol carried over from Britain to her American colonies, where a few wealthy preRevolutionary families ordered Chinese export services.

Among those were a British admiral by the name of Warren who married a New York lady of the Delancey

family, and Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia (He unfortunately left in a bit of a hurry, leaving his dinner set behind). Another famous early service was made for a wealthy Jamaican planter by the name of Vaughan, who married Sarah Hallowell of Boston. They, in fact, ordered three services, their arms rendered on the porcelain from a bookplate they sent to China as a template; the bookplate still exists. One of the most interesting, though, was a service made for William Alexander, a very distant relation to Lord Stirling in Scotland. When Stirling died without an heir, a status-desperate Alexander petitioned Parliament for the title (and arms), but was denied. This did not stop him. He fashioned himself Lord Stirling and ordered a dinner service from China. The Revolution broke out, and despite these patrician aspirations, he valiantly served on Washington’s staff, fought in some major battles and died before the service ever reached him. Once the U.S. established its independence and could trade directly with China, the ordering of “bespoke” dinner services continued, although, in a new republic, the display of noble arms wasn’t as popular as it used to be. Those who still wanted armorials simply adopted and adapted them to their taste, whether descended from the family or not.

Services also displayed emblems of the new republic with images of the Great Seal of the United States or the American eagle, or arms of one’s own state, such as New York or Rhode Island.

My third lecture continued in the China Trade vein as I heard Angela Howard, specialist and dealer in armorial porcelain, speak on the use of border designs as a way of dating Chinese export pieces. Special orders for armorial porcelain from China began in the late 17th to early 18th century. The earliest examples tend to be armorials that are worked into an existing Chinese pattern or design, usually on the rim of a plate or charger in a space reserved for this purpose. The earliest are in blue and white, but as the enamel color palette expanded throughout the 18th century you can date a piece by the presence of the latest colors, as the palette developed from blue and white, to famille verte, to Imari, to grisaille and famille rose. Of course there are overlaps; no color palette simply disappeared on a certain date. The first Continued on page 8

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The New York Ceramics Fair Continued from page 7 quarter of the 18th century saw the development of the full-blown baroque armorial, no longer contained within a rim pattern. In these special order services, the coat of arms covered the entire plate; sometimes the arms’ crest was used as a design element in the rim decoration. This early period reflects, in general, the highest standard of painting and some of the best quality porcelain, before the kilns were flooded with requests as the century wore on. But the gist of Angela’s talk concerned itself with border patterns and how they evolved with new developments in enamel colors as well as demand

from the West, as it was essential to keep one’s dinnerwares up to date and in the latest fashion. There were grisaille patterns after black and white engravings; there were lush, colorful famille rose designs; gilded spearhead or chain link borders, as well as floral sprigs and swags reflecting European preference for the French taste later in the century..., too numerous to list here.

Special order armorial services continued into the mid 19th century, but the history, for the most part, is one of a long, slow degeneration as the quality of the painting wasn’t as good and the overall design not as inspired as it had been in the previous century.

China Students’ Club Anniversary Exhibition Set to Open in September At long last we are pleased to announce that the CSC Anniversary Show of ceramics is being assembled.

We have found a venue that meets our needs, and so the plans that originally were to mark the then 75th year of the Club’s existence are now being finally put into action. The show will be held at the Discover Portsmouth Center in Portsmouth, NH. It will open September 3, 2011 and run through the end of October.

We aim to show a diverse range of ceramics from our members’ collections, so our cases are organized around themes such as early utilitarian wares, mad for blue and white, descended in American families, tea and coffee through the centuries, drinks and drinking Vessels, made in America, and Whimsies (things that defy categorization). Our goal is to draw from different collections and tell a story with each topic while showing a range of examples. We also hope that our members will be pleased to discover some of the objects that other members collect.

We are interested in using our show to help promote our organization as well. To this end we will delve into our archives to describe how the club functioned as a group dedicated to scholarship that aids and reflects collecting interests. We will also do profiles of a few of our current members and their favorite objects. This will show the range of our membership and stress that our collecting originates in a passion and appreciation of the beauty of the object and the unknowns or mysteries of its origin. Our membership reflects a broad range of people and we want our exhibition to reflect that. We are not your grandmother’s China Students’ Club!

As this goes to print, we are still making selections, preparing text, and looking for helpers for our set-up in late August. If you haven’t yet felt the call, please be in touch with either Debbie Bassett (justdebbas@yahoo.com) 781-862-3887or Nic Johnson (nicj2@rcn.com) 617-232-7151.

Debbie Bassett

Bits and Pieces Here and on the back page is a sampling of pieces brought bt CSC members to our Bits and Pieces session.

Left: Wedgwood calendar tile, 1894, depicting the Boston Public Library Right: New Hall sugar bowl, pattern 533, ca.

1815

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Upcoming Ceramics Events CSC Meetings All meetings at 1 PM at the College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston 5/26: The Vivian Hawes Memorial Lecture and Annual Meeting and Tea: The Legacy of the Jones Museum; Louise Richardson, CSC member.

Exhibitions At the Sackler Gallery, Washington, DC: Contemporary Japanese Porcelain At the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC: Chinamania: Whistler and the Victorian Craze for Blue-and-White (until 8/7/11) Ancient Chinese Pottery and Bronze Arts of the Islamic World (including ceramics) Korean Ceramics

is a fine selection of Wedgwood wares spanning the 250 years of production. A nice grouping of Doulton is included, featuring a six foot four inch Doulton Lambeth faience decorated vase, the mate if which was exhibited at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. English majolica is well represented and includes a “Prometheus Bound” vase and cover standing well over four feet in height.

Rounding out the highlights is an exceptional selection of Royal Copenhagen’s Flora Danica dinner ware. For inquiries please contact Stuart Slavid at 508-970-3278 or sslavid@skinnerinc.com.

Seminars and Conferences Redware in America, 1650-1850, Eastfield Village, NY, 6/24-26/2011. For information contact 518-7662422 or dcsapottery1@fairpoint.net.

American Ceramic Circle symposium, Birmingham Auctions Museum of Art, Birmingham, Alabama, 11/3-6/2011.

Asian: Function and Fancy: Ceramics from Across the Globe 6/1, Christie’s, Hong Kong will highlight the Museum’s extensive collection of 9/14, Christie’s, NY, Japanese & Korean ceramics from all regions and periods. Themes covered 9/15-16, Christie’s, NY, Chinese will range from Vietnamese ceramics to Alabama folk European: pottery to Wedgwood, English, and French porcelain, 6/7, 7/7, Christie’s, London and Meissen stoneware. For more information, contact 7/9, Skinner, Boston. Includes an important collection Anne Forschler-Tarrasch at 205-254-2976 or of Gouda pottery from the Ritvo Collection (Phyllis Ritvo aforschler@artsbma. wrote the book The World of Gouda Pottery). There

Recommended Reading: An Imperial Chinese Porcelain Mystery

By Gail Homer Eager to learn more about pots made in the Imperial kilns being brought out now from the Forbidden City?

A fascinating read comes with A Cup of Light by Nicole Nones—a page-turner from 2002. For the romantically-minded student of the best porcelains of China, this book takes the reader into the fine distinctions between the real and the fake (or incredibly crafted fang gu). The novel’s plot moves swiftly. It depicts all the players involved in exporting highly valued porcelains to Hong Kong (where the law cannot touch them) and ultimately onwards. In the course of analyzing the real from the fang gu, important relations develop between

the female analyst of porcelains and an American biochemist in Beijing. A moving love story is linked to the highly professional working practitioners of Beijing, Jingdezhen, and Hong Kong curators, middlemen, crooks, traders, “artists,” gamblers, and a few good people. This is the “now” scene” in Mainland China where patrimony is being lost to a nation which cannot/ will not control the export of its ancient riches. A well written good read.

Delta Trade Paperbacks, Bantam Dell, NY, NY, ISBN 0-385-31945-2.

The review of our April meeting was unavailable at press time.

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Contents A message from our president ............................................................................................................................. 1 Chinese export ceramics, report by Jeff Brown ................................................................................................. 1 Distinguishing old from new Qing blue & white, report by Jeff Brown ............................................................ 4 Message from the editor ....................................................................................................................................... 6 New York Ceramics Fair, report by Jeff Brown ................................................................................................... 6 CSC anniversary exhibition, by Debbie Bassett ................................................................................................. 8 Bits and Pieces ................................................................................................................................................ 8, 10 Upcoming ceramics events ................................................................................................................................... 9

Top: Kakiemon plate, 18th c.; Meissen figure of girl playing zither, ca. 1750; Wedgwood teapot, early 19th c Middle: Chelsea Keramic jar, late 19th c; Chinese plate made for Philadelphia’s Morris family, 1810; Chinese export punch-bowl stand, ca. 1780 Bottom: Doll furniture set made by CSC member Lee-Anne Wessel; Five dutch tiles on biblical themes, Rotterdam or Utrecht, ca. 1750