Offered by Franck Baptiste Paris
Important pair of covered Chinese porcelain jars.
Rich “Imari” type decor with pheasants in a bucolic environment of pierced rocks and branches of peony and prunus.
The decoration on a white background is made in cobalt blue and iron red under translucent glaze, with gilding highlights which delineate the contours and decorate the petals of the flowers and the plumages of the birds.
The upper and lower parts as well as the edges of the lids have friezes imitating basketry.
The two original lids are topped with Fö dogs serving as grips.
Perfect condition, small wear to the gilding.
China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, reign of Emperor Kangxi around 1720.
Dimensions:
Height: 50 cm
Origin :
- Private collection London.
Vase with similar decoration:
-Collection of the Royal Family of England, illustrated on page 571 of the catalog raisonné by John.Ayers, Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, vol.I.
Our opinion :
Our pair of vases represents the quintessence of Chinese ceramics under the reign of Kangxi.
It features a baluster shape combined with the finesse of an underglaze polychrome blue and red “Imari” decoration enhanced with perfectly mastered gilding.
This decor called “Imari kinrande” (literally “gold brocade”) is inspired by “Arita” porcelain from Japan, itself largely inspired by the patterns and compositions of Japanese textile arts, in particular kimonos.
With the accumulation of patterns, the exuberance and the decorative overload where gilding occupies an important place, ceremonial objects of this type, in particular large dishes and vases, are mainly exported from China to Europe for a princely elite.
Their quality far surpasses the original Japanese model, and demonstrates the full extent of the science of the imperious Chinese potters who master all the manufacturing and decoration techniques.
In addition to its sublime abundant decoration, our pair has the rare merit of being presented in a beautiful state of conservation, without accidents and with its two original covers, which is quite rare.
