Chinese Export Porcelain Covered Rose Mandarin Cider Jug

Details

Description

Large Chinese Export Porcelain Rose Mandarin Cider Jug and Cover,
Circa 1810–1825

This handsome and generously sized Chinese Export porcelain … Read more Large Chinese Export Porcelain Rose Mandarin Cider Jug and Cover,
Circa 1810–1825

This handsome and generously sized Chinese Export porcelain cider jug and cover, dating from circa 1810–1825, is a superb example of the Rose Mandarin palette. Its decoration is rich, complex, and highly theatrical, designed for the Western market.

The body is divided into two prominent, different circular figural scenes, each framed by a striking blue enamel and gold Greek Key border. The white ground between the panels is densely decorated with painted flowers, including a lotus, and butterflies. The neck features a continuous, finely detailed band of flowers.

The figurative scenes offer engaging domestic narratives:

Mandarin Scene: Depicts a high-ranking Mandarin official in a yellow robe seated at a table with attendants holding large fans, observing two male figures and a kneeling woman.

Domestic Scene: Shows a lady seated at a marble table with a book and scrolls, attended by a group of women, with a small child beckoning them from the deck, overlooking a garden.

The jug's handles are particularly unusual: they are double loop handles with large, molded, and gilded terminals depicting leaves and flowers at both the top and bottom. The fitted cover is similarly painted with a large figural scene in the center, encircled by a floral band, and crowned with a finely molded, gilded Kylin finial.

Dimensions: 11 1/2 inches high x 9 inches wide x 6 inches deep (29.21cm high x 22.86cm).

Condition: There is an old repair to the tip of the spout which is now invisibly repaired.

Historical Context: Rose Mandarin and the Export Trade (1810–1825)

Rose Mandarin Palette: This jug is characteristic of the Rose Mandarin palette, a variant of famille rose porcelain that was immensely popular in the West during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This style is distinguished by the lavish use of rich, opaque enamels, primarily centered around figural scenes (often featuring Mandarins in domestic or official settings) set within gilded borders, contrasting with the floral decoration surrounding them.

Export Quality and Trade: Produced primarily in the kilns of Jingdezhen and decorated in Canton (Guangzhou), this cider jug was created specifically for the lucrative European and American export trade. Objects like jugs, known as cider jugs (due to their use for serving cider or other beverages), often adopted European forms but were adorned with Chinese scenes. The elaborate nature of the double-loop handles and the gilded Kylin finial indicate this was a high-quality, expensive commission intended for wealthy Western households, where its exotic decoration and sophisticated form would be highly prized. The Kylin (or Qilin), a mythical chimerical creature, symbolizes prosperity and longevity, further adding to the jug's auspicious decorative meaning.

(Ref: VM98691) See less