Vase
1736-1795 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The sumptuous style of this vase is replicated on pieces in both the Beijing and Taiwan Palace collections, and would appear to have found favour at court in Qianlong's reign (1736-1795). The detailed and naturalistic painting of flowers and butterflies is set against a thick ruby-red enamel, while the jewel-like borders around the neck and above the foot are highlighted to simulate shining gems, with touches of gilding. The decoration suggests the influence of enamel-painted copper, manufactured in the palace enamelling workshop until 1789.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain painted in enamel colours |
| Brief description | Vase of porcelain painted with enamels, 1736-1795, Qianlong period, Chinese. |
| Physical description | The main ground is enamelled in purplish-crimson with a scratched lattice pattern and against this are set finely-painted iris and other flowers in 'famille rose' colours. the formal colours above and below are on a ground of yellow. A pale turquoise enamel appears inside the lip and on the base. This style of decoration, described as 'on a graviata ground' in early 20th century English art books, are referred to as 'ci tai yang cai jin shang tian hua' in palace records. They were made between 1741 and 1743. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Qianlong 6-character seal mark in underglaze blue reserved in turquoise enamel on the base |
| Credit line | 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. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The sumptuous style of this vase is replicated on pieces in both the Beijing and Taiwan Palace collections, and would appear to have found favour at court in Qianlong's reign (1736-1795). The detailed and naturalistic painting of flowers and butterflies is set against a thick ruby-red enamel, while the jewel-like borders around the neck and above the foot are highlighted to simulate shining gems, with touches of gilding. The decoration suggests the influence of enamel-painted copper, manufactured in the palace enamelling workshop until 1789. |
| Bibliographic reference | Rawski, Evelyn S. & Rawson, J. (Eds) China: The Three Emperors, 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005
Kerr, Rose Chinese Ceramics, Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911, London: V&A, 1998, No. 99
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.1461-1910 |
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| Record created | February 28, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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