Imari oil and vinegar set

This typical ‘chine de commande’ object was used in the 18th century as tableware for serving oil and vinegar. It is decorated in Chinese Imari style with flower motifs: underglaze blue and overglazed red with gold. The set is complete with two jugs and. Fortunately, due to the metal cord that is attached around the lids and handles of the jugs, the lids have survived more than 300 years. The metal cords are made in Europe soon after their arrival in the 18th century. The matching holder has a handle to carry the set as well.
Just at the start of the 18th century (in the later Kangxi period), oil and vinegar sets were produced in porcelain. Presumably because the European bourgeoisie preferred the use of glass cruets with silver trays a long time. When these porcelain sets were ordered, they were often inspired of Delft earthenware oil and vinegar sets also produced at the start of the 18th century. 

Condition: very good. Minor fading of the gold enamels (as usual)
For a similar example see: Christie’s 12 July 2005, Live auction 7049 ‘Chinese ceramics and works of art, including export art’, Lot nr. 114.

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European and Chinese exchange: Chine de commande (and Euroiserie)
By T.M. (Toussaint) Verkoulen

From 1680 on, Chinese porcelain artisans dedicated more effort to meeting the preferences of Western customers. They embraced Western styles more and more often crafting items like coffee- and chocolate pots, butter dishes, spittoons and other household utensils in Chinese porcelain; all tailored to suit the European demand. The porcelain on demand or “chine-de-commande” already started when the Portuguese influenced Chinese potters in the 16th century. The Portuguese, who were the first European merchants in China, arrived in 1514 in Guangzhou (Canton). After several decades they were asking for specific forms and shapes which did not exist in China. Many of these shape designs were directly inspired by European silverware, pewter and earthenware. However, Chinese artisans encountered challenges with three-dimensional objects in Western shape. In some cases, European examples were brought to Jingdezhen such that the Chinese potters could meet the European shapes the best. These were drawings or dummies of wood and earthenware. For example, in 1751, samples of strawberry bowls and herring containers were brought to China by the Dutch East India Company. 
From around 1700 Chinese export porcelain began to feature not only European Shapes but more often Western decorations on demand. They depict mythological scenes such as ‘Venus and Hermes,’ religious subjects like ‘The Baptism of Christ’ and ‘Madonna and Child,’ and even political events such as the ‘Rotterdam Riots’ (Dutch Kosterman uprising of 1690). Also, these motifs were sometimes a challenge for the Chinese artisans: it has happened that the Chinese porcelain painters applied the indications from the sent examples (e.g. prints), such as the word 'colour', on the porcelain. Also, family weapons on porcelain can in exceptions be found turned upside down. 
The production of armorial plates with coat of arms of European families begins on a larger scale from 1720 onwards. Nevertheless, there are also rare Kangxi period examples of armorial plates. Even very rare Ming-dynasty (1368-1644) Wanli decorated porcelain with coat of arms can be found from around 1600. Most of the Chinese porcelain was (and still is) produced in this small town in the Jiangxi province called “cidu” (‘the porcelain capital’) by locals. The 18th century armorial plates and other chine de commande decorated porcelain are usually painted in Canton and not Jingdezhen. The decoration is in this case mostly done in overglazed ‘encre de chine’ (grisaille) or enamels. On the other hand, commande decoration in underglaze blue was probably made in Jingdezhen. A possible reason why chine de commande decorated porcelain was finished in Canton is that the client could control their order and could give instructions to carry out their example the best for the Western taste.
The Chine de commande production is an exception and has been mainly facilitated through private traders, who were often staff of the East India Companies using the allowance of private trading items. A reason for this is that the production of porcelain with Western subjects was not profitable, so it can hardly be found on remaining Dutch East Indian Company inventory lists. According to research by T. Volker and C.J.A. Jörg we can estimate that less than five percent of the approximately 185 million of the total exported pieces from China to Europe between 1550 and 1800 has been decorated according to European motives. The other pieces exported contained the ‘normal’ Chinese decoration and motifs such as pagoda’s, peony’s and Long Eliza’s, but also this kind of decoration was produces specific for the west. 

It was not only the European continent that had a fascination about Chinese craftmanship and knowledge. In fact, there was also a Qing imperial taste for the West that can be called ‘Euroiserie’ or ‘Occidenterie’. The Kangxi emperor (1661-1722) and the Qianlong emperor (1736-1795) are also known for their acquisition of European imports such as glass, sliver, clocks and their employment of Jesuit artists. Jesuit artists in China were primarily missionaries who were skilled in various fields, including art, science, and mathematics. During the 16th to 18th centuries, Jesuit missionaries from Europe, particularly from Italy and Portugal, were sent to China. One example is Father Jean-Denis Attiret (1702-1768) a French Jesuit who had influence on the Chinese imperial court. He became painter to the emperor and participated, in collaboration with the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), in the execution of drawings celebrating Qianlong’s victories in northern China during the 1750s. Another Jesuit, Father Michel Benoît (1715-74), an astronomer by profession, also impressed the court with his skills as an architect and hydraulic engineer. He worked on several construction of certain palaces and ornamental waterworks the Forbidden City. The peak of Chinese material engagement with the West occurred during the 18th century. European engravings played a key role in the transmission of visual culture during the reign Qianlong. The Jesuits in China had extensive libraries of books and prints at their disposal in Peking, including many illustrated books and suites of prints of the architecture and gardens at Versailles. 

Source: D.S. Howard, “A tale of three cities Canton, Sanghai & Hong Kong”, 1997. 
K. Kleutghen, “Imperial Illusions: Crossing Pictorial Boundaries in the Qing Palaces”, 2016. 
R.C Po “Tea, Porcelain, and Silk: Chinese Exports to the West in the Early Modern Period”, 2018. 
Smogy "China at Versailles. Art and Diplomacy in the 18th Century”, 2014. 
T. Ghieler “The Ceramics of Eurasia How export porcelain has shaped a globalized world”, 2019.