Tankard

This porcelain tankard was made in China for the European market. A distinctively European form, tankards were used to serve warm beverages during social gatherings.The potter created the blue ground by blowing cobalt oxide through a bamboo pipe onto the vessel, resulting in a powdery, mottled effect that was highly admired in the West. Gilded designs show Buddhist lions chasing brocade balls, lotus flowers, and stylised floral scrolls. The tankard was likely specially commissioned by a Western patron or trading company. It demonstrates the flourishing porcelain export trade and cross-cultural exchange between China and the West in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

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Tankard painted with figures

Blue and white tankard

Tankard with applied chi dragon

Pair of European-style tankard-shaped mugs