Chinese Export Porcelain Bottle-Form Rose Medallion Vases

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Description

A Pair of Chinese Export Porcelain Rose Medallion Bottle Vases
Guangzhou (Canton), China, Qing Dynasty,
Daoguang–Xianfeng period, circa 1830–1860
Also … Read more A Pair of Chinese Export Porcelain Rose Medallion Bottle Vases
Guangzhou (Canton), China, Qing Dynasty,
Daoguang–Xianfeng period, circa 1830–1860
Also with wood stands.

This pair of bottle-form vases exemplifies the Rose Medallion palette at its most animated. Each rises from a gently splayed foot through a broad, globular body to a slender cylindrical neck articulated by a collar ring and terminating in a slightly everted rim. The form — a tianqiuping or 'heavenly globe' shape adapted for the export market — is robustly potted and well-balanced, the white-bodied porcelain of fine quality throughout.\

The decoration follows the Rose Medallion formula of four alternating reserves on the body: two large figural panels and two floral cartouches separated by dense grounds of overglaze iron-red enriched with scrolling green foliage and gilt highlights. The figural reserves depict animated interior court scenes of mandarins, ladies, attendants, and children engaged in genteel pursuits, rendered with the confident brushwork of accomplished mid-nineteenth-century Canton atelier work, the garments coloured in the characteristic rose-pink, celadon green, pale blue, and yellow of the famille rose enamels. The floral cartouches, filled with peonies, chrysanthemums, and other blooms against a white ground, provide visual relief within the richness of the surface.

The neck repeats the scheme in miniature, with small figural vignettes alternating with narrow floral panels, the collar ring serving as a visual caesura between neck and shoulder. The foot is encircled with a band of green and gilt diaper, and the rim retains traces of its original gilt edging, with some wear consistent with age. Each vase has a hardwood stand with shaped apron if desired.

Dimensions
Height: 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm)
Width (max. at body): 8 in. (20.3 cm)
Height on Bases: 16 inches high (40.64)

Provenance
Private American collection.

Historical Context
Rose Medallion porcelain represents the most commercially successful Chinese export wares of the nineteenth century. Produced in the workshops of Canton (Guangzhou) specifically for the Western market — principally American and British — the ware takes its name from the characteristic medallion of interwoven roses or peonies that often centres the principal panels on plates and dishes, though on vases the figural reserves typically take precedence. The palette and decorative vocabulary were established in the early Qing period and refined through the Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng reigns (circa 1796–1861), during which the finest export-quality pieces were produced.

The tianqiuping or ‘heavenly globe’ bottle form used here was among the most favoured shapes for export vases, prized in the West for its imposing proportions and suitability as a mantelpiece ornament or hall display piece.

Selected Bibliography
Mudge, Jean McClure. Chinese Export Porcelain for the American Trade, 1785–1835. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1962.
Howard, David, and John Ayers. China for the West: Chinese Porcelain and Other Decorative Arts for Export. 2 vols. London and New York: Sotheby Parke Bernet, 1978.
Crossman, Carl L. The Decorative Arts of the China Trade. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors’ Club, 1991.
Sargent, William R. Treasures of Chinese Export Ceramics from the Peabody Essex Museum. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012. See less