Flask
1736-1795 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
One of the most vivid visual records of the trade and cultural exchange between the Chinese on the one hand, and Western Europeans on the other, is provided by the ceramic sculptures and painted wares produced from their encounters of each other, and of their material cultures. While many of such ceramic objects were made for export, as trade with foreigners gained momentum an elite Chinese urban clientele began to seek exotic foreign goods to demonstrate their status and sophistication, and the Qing emperors also began collecting and became patrons to artistic creation. The Palace Workshops took the lead in producing enamelled porcelain decorated with images of western women, and created a trend for porcelain objects such as snuff bottles, and this double-sided, gourd-shape bottle.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain painted in overglaze enamel and gilding |
| Brief description | Flask, porcelain painted in overglaze enamel and gilding with European figures, China, Qing dynasty, Qianlong mark and period (1736-1795) |
| Physical description | Porcelain flask, of flattened double-gourd form, with two s-shaped loop handles. Painted in overglaze enamel and gilding. On each side with a gourd-shaped cartouche edged with ornamental scrollwork. The lower part of the gourd painted in a miniature style with European figures in a landscape: A woman breast-feeding a baby, a boy behind her; a maid and a boy. The upper part containing formal flowers. On both ends, two cartouches with landscapes in crimson monochrome. All cartouches are reserved on a celadon ground embellished with small white flowers and scrolling foliage. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'da qing Qianlong nian zhi' in a double square, in blue enamel
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| Credit line | W. G. Gulland Bequest |
| Object history | Displayed at the touring exhibition, "The Exotic European", 16th January-18th August, 1991. Places include: Bristol, Sheffield, Birmingham and Liverpool. (RP-89/1834) |
| Production | Register |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | One of the most vivid visual records of the trade and cultural exchange between the Chinese on the one hand, and Western Europeans on the other, is provided by the ceramic sculptures and painted wares produced from their encounters of each other, and of their material cultures. While many of such ceramic objects were made for export, as trade with foreigners gained momentum an elite Chinese urban clientele began to seek exotic foreign goods to demonstrate their status and sophistication, and the Qing emperors also began collecting and became patrons to artistic creation. The Palace Workshops took the lead in producing enamelled porcelain decorated with images of western women, and created a trend for porcelain objects such as snuff bottles, and this double-sided, gourd-shape bottle. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.219-1931 |
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| Record created | December 31, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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