Vase
Category
Ceramics
Date
circa 1660
Materials
porcelain
Measurements
204 mm (Height); 84 mm (Diameter)
Place of origin
Jingdezhen
Order this imageCollection
Wallington, Northumberland
NT 581725.2
Summary
Beaker-vase, one of two, porcelain, of cylindrical form with flared lip, made in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China, c.1660; decorated in underglaze blue and translucent overglaze polychrome enamels, a combination known as wucai (five colours) includes copper green, iron-red, iron-yellow and manganese purple-black, the continuous scene with a scholar accompanied by a crane and an attendant holding his cloth covered instrument, probably a stringed instrument known as a guqin, in a mountainous landscape with rockwork and plantain trees.
Full description
These vases date from the Shunzhi period (1644-1661), when the wucai (five colour) technique was popular on ceramics. It is a Chinese style of decorating white porcelain in a limited range of colours. The design outline is first added in underglaze blue, leaving some parts of the image unfinished, it was then high-fired with the glaze added. Then the overglaze enamels were added to complete the design and fired again at a lower temperature of about 850°C to 900°C.
Provenance
Gift from Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan 3rd Bt
Marks and inscriptions
Base: 126