Tap jar

Real or false? Find the differences

The objects exhibited in a museum should be real: ‘the true object’, and not a forgery. But how do you know that? Chinese porcelain in particular has been forged for centuries. For example, the French company Samson made replicas of popular porcelain in the nineteenth century. Their imitations of Chinese, Japanese and Meissen porcelain were so good that the company became very well-known. The Princessehof owns both a genuine Japanese tap jar, acquired in 2003 via the Douwe Egberts Museum, and an imitation from the Samson company. You have to look very closely to find the differences.

In the Netherlands, tap jars were used as coffee makers for a long time. The ground coffee beans go into the belly of the jar, the water comes on top. The whole thing is heated by an oil burner that is placed between the legs of the jar. When the coffee grounds have settled, the coffee is tapped off through the tap, which is located above the grounds. The makers of the Japanese tap pot based their design on a Dutch silver model around 1740. They made a unique, new version of it.

Tap jar, Edmeé Samson et Cie, France, 1870 – 1900, porcelain, h. 35,7 cm.

It is an intriguing object. The Japanese tap jar has a slightly lobed pear-shaped body that rests on a hexagonal base. It is decorated in relief in underglaze blue, with iron-red enamel and gold on top. A pine tree is painted on it, in which a nest of young cranes is located, while the parents fly in with food. Furthermore, a prunus and bamboo are applied to the jar. Together they form ‘The Three Friends of Winter’, a symbol for a long life. The whole is supported by three Japanese men that serve as legs.

Since 1971, the Princessehof has had a tap jar that strongly resembles the one in the Douwe Egberts Museum. When it was re-examined, it turned out not to be Japanese, but a late nineteenth-century replica from the Samson factory in France. At the time, this discovery was a disappointment, but the example and the copy can now be beautifully displayed side by side.

There are a few notable differences. The size, for example. Samson made a mold using authentic objects, in which the jar was cast. Due to the shrinkage during firing, the result was smaller than the original. It is also noticeable that in the copy the Japanese supports are modeled 'stiffer' and that the painted decorations are less elegant and detailed.

Samson

Nowadays, the copies of the Samson company themselves are also collectors’ items. In the nineteenth century, there were many other Parisian workshops active that made similar imitations of ceramics. Therefore, ironically enough, not all objects attributed to Samson were actually made by this company. Also, the Samson mark (‘Ss’) was removed from many objects in order to pass them off as authentic. A ‘real’ Samson has therefore become a desirable object in itself.

Eva Ströber, former curator Asian ceramics at Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics, with thanks to Aafke Koole.