Vase thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 125c

Vase

1736-1795 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This vase would have served as a flower holder in a Chinese household in the 18th century. British and French potters were attracted to the deep red glaze with blue streaks, while the form, especially the elephant handles, would have had an additional appeal to an audience interested in the exotic East.

The red glaze with blue streaks so admired by European ceramicists did not come as an overnight success in China. The red colour was derived from copper, which was highly unstable and difficult to control. Of all Chinese glazes it had the highest failure rate. It was only in the 18th century, when the technique was finally mastered, that copper-red porcelain was produced in substantial quantity.

George Salting (1835-1909) was a passionate collector who bequeathed a large number of Chinese ceramics to the V&A. When he bought this vase it was already more than 100 years old. The Chinese had always treasured ancient ceramics, and it was only after the opening up of China to the West after 1840 that antique items became available to collectors. The appearance of these hitherto unknown objects on the British art market inspired potters to create new forms and glazes.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Porcelain, with streaked flambé glaze
Brief description
Cer, China, Qing, FLAMBE
Physical description
CHINESE VASE
Dimensions
  • Height: 15cm
  • Width: 9.5cm
  • Depth: 6cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 17/06/1999 by LH
Style
Gallery label
British Galleries: CHINESE, FRENCH AND ENGLISH VASES with flambé glazes
These brilliant flambé glazes were perfected in China in the 18th century. The effect is created by skilful manipulation of the glaze chemistry and high temperature firing. Interest in reproducing flambé glazes began in about 1855 in France but soon spread across Europe, particularly to England and Germany. In Britain, the Staffordshire potter Bernard Moore used experimental and highly accomplished red flambé glazes on Chinese-inspired shapes.(27/03/2003)
Credit line
The Salting Bequest
Object history
Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Made at the Jingdezhen kilns, Jiangxi Province, China
Summary
This vase would have served as a flower holder in a Chinese household in the 18th century. British and French potters were attracted to the deep red glaze with blue streaks, while the form, especially the elephant handles, would have had an additional appeal to an audience interested in the exotic East.

The red glaze with blue streaks so admired by European ceramicists did not come as an overnight success in China. The red colour was derived from copper, which was highly unstable and difficult to control. Of all Chinese glazes it had the highest failure rate. It was only in the 18th century, when the technique was finally mastered, that copper-red porcelain was produced in substantial quantity.

George Salting (1835-1909) was a passionate collector who bequeathed a large number of Chinese ceramics to the V&A. When he bought this vase it was already more than 100 years old. The Chinese had always treasured ancient ceramics, and it was only after the opening up of China to the West after 1840 that antique items became available to collectors. The appearance of these hitherto unknown objects on the British art market inspired potters to create new forms and glazes.
Collection
Accession number
C.404-1910

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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