Vase

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.