Matched Pair: Chinese Cloisonné Enamel Covered Brush Pot & Ginger Jar Vase

Details

Description

A beautifully cohesive pair of Chinese cloisonné enamel covered vessels, almost certainly from the same workshop — sharing identical white … Read more A beautifully cohesive pair of Chinese cloisonné enamel covered vessels, almost certainly from the same workshop — sharing identical white enamel grounds, allover gold cloud scroll (ruyi) filler patterns, and rich cobalt blue enamel interiors. Together they make a striking display on a bookshelf, console, mantel, or curio cabinet, and would be equally at home in a collected interior as in a dedicated Asian decorative arts collection.
The Brush Pot (bi tong) is cylindrical in form with a flat fitted lid. The body is decorated with an elegant arrangement of peonies in cobalt blue, blush pink, and golden yellow, rising from a scholar’s rock amid lush green foliage. A turquoise scallop border with rust-red dot accents frames the neck. The lid continues the floral composition — a full-bloom blue peony flanked by a yellow bud and a pink rosebud — all set against the same fine cloud scroll ground. Both the interior of the pot and the underside of the lid are finished in deep cobalt blue with brass edging.
The Ginger Jar Vase is ovoid in form with a domed lid and round brass finial. Large-scale peonies in soft pink and warm yellow sweep across the body amid bold green foliage on a woody brown branch — a classic composition symbolizing wealth, beauty, and good fortune. The neck and lid are adorned with a scalloped border of cobalt blue and golden yellow ruyi clouds, and the top of the lid features a concentric medallion of blue and gold cloud scrolls. Interiors finished in cobalt blue enamel throughout.
Peonies are among the most auspicious motifs in Chinese decorative arts, long associated with prosperity and feminine beauty. The cloud scroll filler ground and cobalt interiors on both pieces point to confident, practiced workmanship. A wonderful find for a collector or anyone who appreciates the meditative intricacy of the cloisonné tradition. See less