Baluster Vase with Floral Spray Designs

Artist Chinese , Jingdezhen, in Jiangxi province

DateQianlong period (1736–1795) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Mediumporcelain with famille rose enamel decoration and incised enamel ground over transparent glaze

Dimensions45.6 cm (17 15/16 in.)

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineBequest of Mrs. Charles L. Morse

Terms

Object number1966.21

DescriptionCh'ien Lung period
Label TextThe flowers depicted on this vase include delicate sprays of morning glories, chrysanthemums, peonies, hibiscus, lotus blossoms and camellias. The vase reflects the introduction at Jingdezhen, from the late 1720s onwards, of a new palette of enamels, many with components imported from Europe. The Chinese often called this palette fencai (“pale or powder colors”), ruancai (“soft colors”), or yangcai (“Western or foreign colors”). Referring to its range of pink enamels colored by colloidal gold, Westerners call this palette famille rose (“pink family”), a term coined by a 19th-century French connoisseur. The new famille rose enamels were sometimes used in combination with the traditional, transparent Jingdezhen enamels. They also included the use of an opaque lead-arsenate white and a lead-stannate yellow adopted from Chinese cloisonné enameling on metal at the imperial workshops of the Forbidden City. In porcelain decoration these white and yellow pigments helped create a widely nuanced palette. For example, the colloidal pink was used alone or in combination with the white or yellow pigments to produce a wide range of color tones. To gain different effects, enamel powders were also mixed with varied media such as oil, liquid gum, or plain water. The famille rose palette inspired the employment of professional painters to embellish the finest porcelains. The creative use of pigments of graduated tones and diverse consistencies enabled such artists to freely enhance their designs with painterly modeling and shading techniques inspired by Western art. As seen here, the enameled backgrounds of famille rose ware were often incised with lively patterns for an even greater decorative effect.ProvenanceMrs. Charles L. Morse, Worcester, MA

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