Candelabra
Category
Ceramics
Date
1700 - 1800
Materials
Stoneware, iron oxide, tin, brass
Measurements
327 x 95 mm; 175 mm (Length)
Place of origin
Longquan
Order this imageCollection
Saltram, Devon
NT 871072
Summary
Pair of candelabra consisting of figural groups, porcelain, in the shape of Kuixing, the god of examinations, standing balanced on a dragon-like fish, made in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, China, probably 18th century, covered in a celadon glaze, on a European (French?) green tole (painted or japanned tin) base and with metal branches with green tole leaves, porcelain flowers and brass candle holders, 18th or 19th century.
Full description
Kuixing is usually depicted with a wild, scowling appearance, with one foot raised behind him, a writing brush (representing scholarship) held in one, raised hand and an ingot (representing the prosperity resulting from being successful in the government examinations) in the other. The dragon-like fish he balances on represents the parable of carp which successfully swum up the Dragon Gate cataract and was thereby turned into a dragon, symbolising the perseverance needed to be successful at examinations (Bjaaland Welch 2008). As East-Asian porcelain began to imported into Europe in quantity in the 16th century, it was often embellished with precious-metal mounts, in order to protect it, to enhance its preciousness and also to adapt it to European aesthetics. One development of that practice was the fashion in the mid-18th century for using ormolu (gilt bronze) mounts to turn Chinese and Japanese porcelain figures and vessels into candelabra, sometimes with the addition, as here, of European-made ceramic flowers (Kerr and Mengoni 2011, Watson 1986). The reflective surfaces of the porcelain and the gilding would have amplified the candlelight while the light, in turn, would have enhanced the porcelain. As such these candelabra embody the European admiration for East-Asian decorative art, although the original significance of the East-Asian figures was usually not understood.
Provenance
Accepted by HM Government in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated to the National Trust, 1957.
References
Bjaaland Welch 2008: Patricia Bjaaland Welch, Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery, Tokyo, Rutland (Vermont) and Singapore, 2008, p.161 Kerr and Mengoni 2011: Rose Kerr and Luisa E. Mengoni, Chinese Export Ceramics, London, 2011, pp. 90-1, fig 126 Watson 1986: Francis Watson, Mounted Oriental Porcelain, Washington, DC, 1986,, cats. 17 (pp. 62–3), 26 (pp. 80–1) and 28 (pp. 84–5).