Pair of celadon porcelain vases, 18th century China

Pair of ovoid brush-shaped wash bowls in Chinese porcelain.
The shape and decoration imitate sections of a bamboo stem, with finely incised leaves and culms under a pale celadon glaze.
Mercury-gilt bronze mount with a subtle base rim.

Porcelain, China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen kilns, late reign of the Kangxi Emperor (1661-1722) or early reign of Yongzheng (1723-1735), circa 1720-1730.

Bronze mount, Paris, probably early reign of Louis XV, circa 1730-1740.

Dimensions:

Width: 18 cm; Depth: 13.5 cm; Height: 11 cm

- A brush holder with the same decoration, Christie's London sale, May 15, 2015, lot 609.

- A pair of celadon vases imitating bamboo, Sotheby's Paris, September 14, 2014, lot 45.

- Another pair of similar vases in the English royal collections (Inv. No. 2312)

Our opinion:

The pair of brush holders we are presenting is part of the world of Chinese calligraphy.
These porcelain scholarly objects include crenellated brush rests, brush holders in the shape of spindle vases, and brush holders.
The bamboo decoration is recurrent in this type of piece, notably due to the transformation of the plant into a papyrus leaf, which provides an ideal surface for calligraphy. In addition, the shape of the leaf perfectly simulates a brushstroke, while the durability and strength of bamboo, which bends without breaking, are also symbols of Confucian virtues.
It is for all these reasons, and to mimic nature, that our two bowls have received the rarest and most sought-after glaze: celadon green, which imitates jade.
This legendary shade was brought to the forefront during the Song dynasty (13th century) by the famous Longquan kilns and was revisited by the emperors of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.
At the beginning of the 18th century, olive green was gradually replaced by a lighter, translucent glaze known as "pale celadon"; the underglaze decoration, which was incised, was now treated with greater relief; all on pieces that imitate flora and fauna. The merchant and haberdasher Lazare Duvaux was the largest supplier of these oriental porcelains, for which he held a virtual monopoly in Paris.
On December 16, 1750, he sold to the Marquise de Pompadour a pair of brush washers decorated with bamboo on a blue-blue ground, which he had mounted in bronze.
This type of Chinese porcelain brush washer, repurposed as a jardinière, remained highly sought-after throughout the 18th century.