Images Porcelains The images in this document are from the Elegance of the Qing Court Special Exhibition at Joslyn Art Museum. The text in this document is from the following source: Pei, Fang Jing Pei, Wang Peihuan, and Judith Rutherford. Elegance of the Qing Court: Reflections of a Dynasty Through Its Art. Omaha, NE: Joslyn Art Museum, 2008. Saucer with the Three Friends of Winter. Kangxi mark and period, 1662-1722; underglaze red and blue enamels; d. 25.8 cm; Private collection The design of pine, prunus, and bamboo, known as the three friends of winter, symbolizes strength and endurance, as all three plants are able to survive the cold of winter. Another Kangxi-period porcelain example of this unusual shape also utilizing underglaze blue and red is in the Percival David Foundation, University of London.
Celadon beehive waterpot. Kangxi mark and period (1662-1722); celadon glaze; h. 7.2 cm; Private collection. A similar waterpot with a molded cloud design is in the Percival David Foundation, University of London. Ewer. Mid 18 th century; mazzarine blue glaze; h. 30 cm; Private collection Large bowl. 18 th century; blue glaze; d. 30.5 cm; Private collection
Ice chest. Kangxi period (1662-1722); white glaze; 26.5 x 26.5 cm; Private collection This porcelain basin with cover replicates the wooden lead-lined chests which were placed before windows and filled with ice, cooling the air which passed over the chest into the room. This porcelain ice chest performed the same function when placed on a table or stand. Vase with five spouts. 18 th century; turquoise glaze; h. 29.5 cm; Private collection Bats decorate the body and neck of this vase.
Vase. Kangxi mark and period (1662-1722); wucai and doucai glazes; h. 16.6 cm; Private collection This vase utilizes both wucai, literally meaning five colors or also to Chinese, many colors, and doucai, meaning contending colors, techniques. The bulbous bottom portion is covered with red, yellow, green, blue, and purple glazes, while the neck is decorated in blue with the pattern outlined in a deeper blue glaze. Celadon vase with molded design. Yongzheng period (1723-1735); celadon glaze; h. 39.8 cm; Private collection The body of this vase has a molded design of three bold horizontal rows of a modified scroll pattern between a floral pattern. A petal lappet design decorates the base, while the shoulder has a bold ruyi pattern with a key fret on the neck. It is covered with a celadon sea-green glaze and the foot rim is dressed in brown. The base is glazed and centered with a molded sixcharacter Chenghua mark. Honorific Chenghua marks were particularly popular during the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods but rarely seen during the Qianlong period. A vase with a similar pattern in relief is in the Baur Collection, Musée des Arts d Extreme Orient, Geneva.
Five-spouted vase. 18 th century; teadust glaze; h. 20.5 cm; Private collection Originating during the Tang dynasty, teadust is a type of traditional iron crystalline glaze that is fired at a high temperature in a reducing atmosphere. The many tones of teadust glazes are due to the fact that they are highly sensitive to minute changes in the firing. Imperial yellow vase. Qianlong mark and period (1736-1795); yellow glaze; h. 30 cm; Private collection The yellow glaze is described as egg yolk in color.
Peacock blue glazed vessels Peacock blue, or turquoise, occurs in Chinese glazes as early as the Tang dynasty although during this period it is quite rare. It appears in increasing frequency in each subsequent dynasty, reaching its zenith during the Qing. In the Qianlong reign, the glaze attained its greatest popularity, but turquoise vases again became rare in the subsequent Jiaqing period. Although peacock blue also occurs in Middle Eastern countries, the Chinese method of preparation is remarkable is its simplicity. Bulbous vase. Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735); peacock blue glaze; h. 40.5 cm; Private collection This large vase is covered with an even turquoise glaze. Centered on the base is the incised six-character mark of Yongzheng. Vase with Three Friends of Winter. Qianlong period (1736-1795); turquoise blue glaze; h. 26.5 cm; Private collection This vase with molded elephant handles at its neck has an unusual underglaze line drawing of the Three Friends of Winter: bamboo and pine on one side with prunus and the other. The elephant is a symbol of strength and astuteness, and the word for elephant, xiang, is also a homonym for the word for happiness. Bottle vase with dragon motif. Kangxi period (1662-1722); turquoise blue glaze; h. 39.5 cm; Private collection This vase has an underglaze drawing of a pair of five-clawed dragons among clouds confronting a flaming pearl.
Flambé glazed vessels It is believed that the so-called flambé glazes were originally kiln failures in the early Kangxi period. However, Tang Ying, supervisor of the imperial kiln, documented glazes produced under his supervision in Taocheng jishi, which he wrote in 1735. We learn from the Yung-cheng list [of the Yongzheng period, 1723-1735] that such kiln transmutations were being produced by design in the familiar glazes with flame like streaks of varying color which the French aptly call flambé. Square flambé glaze vase. 18 th century; flambé glaze; h. 21.2 cm; Private collection The blue-infused red glaze on this unusually shaped vase covers the shoulders and inner neck and falls in controlled vertical streaks over the body. The rope like handles are coated with alternative red and light brown glaze which follows the twisting of the paste that forms them. The unglazed foot rim reveals a brownish-tinged paste. Flambé vase with flared lip. 18 th century; flambé glaze; h. 25.5 cm; Private collection Covered with a lustrous red glaze suffused with blue streaks, the glaze falls to an unglazed foot, revealing a brownish past. The base is glazed in a light blue enamel. Vase simulating peacock feathers. 18 th century; flambé glaze; h. 31 cm; Private collection The glaze on this vase, which utilizes the flambé technique, intentionally simulates peacock feathers. Buddhist triple-gourd vase. Qianlong mark and period (1736-1795); famille rose enamels; h. 19.4 cm; Private collection The famille rose enamels of this triple-gourd vase form a design of scrolling lotus on a light blue ground. The unique shape can be seen in Buddhist paintings in the form of a water vessel held by Avalokitesvara. Centered on the base is the six-character mark of Qianlong in iron-red.
Oval waterpot. Qianlong mark and period (1736-1795); soft paste porcelain, h. 5 cm; Private collection Of oval form with a single delicate rose on its lip, this soft-paste water container bears the impressed six-character mark of Qianlong on its base. Yellow ground lantern vase. Jiaqing mark and period (1796-1820); famille rose enamels on yellow ground; h. 25.4 cm; Private collection. This lantern-shaped vase has molded elephant handles in blue enamel; the body is decorated in scrolling lotus on a yellow enamel ground. The six-character seal of Jiaqing is on the base in iron red.
Birthday cup. Guangxu and period (1878-1908); iron red enamel on yellow ground; h. 6.4 cm; Private collection This delicately potted cup has a lemon yellow background decorated with shou characters with confronting bats above and below are interspersed with three vertical shou characters above a facing bat with a ribbon tied in ruyi pattern. A ruyi pattern also encircles the rim while a double line is drawn above the base, all in red enamel. An intricate wan pattern encircles the interior lip, which is edged in gold. Centered on the base in iron red are the four characters Guangxu nian zhi. The interior is decorated with a central design of five bats known as wu fu, a wish for the five happinesses, surrounding a circular shou character.