Vase

Object Details

• Description

  Vase, four-sided; animalistic handles and high, moulded foot. Clay: heavy, white porcelain. Glaze: pure white, glossy; covering the entire surface. Decorated with over glaze enamels. Six-character seal mark of the Ch'ien Lung period in underglaze blue under the foot.

• Marks

  1. (From original folder sheet note 4) (H.C. Lovell, 1975) The vase is rectangular in section, and its gently convex sides are constricted at the shoulder and above the foot. It was moulded in two halves and luted together along the median of the two narrower sides, over which two handles in stylized dragon form are applied. The four faces of the vase are decorated with floral designs indicating the four seasons: peonies for spring, bamboo intertwined with morning glory for summer, chrysanthemums for autumn, and blossoming plum tree with bamboo for winter. The designs are delicately rendered in overglaze enamels in green, blue, pink, yellow, white and black. The dragon handles are painted with blue enamel, their backs bearing a fern-like scroll. A six character mark reading Ta Ch'ing Ch'ien-lung nien-chih, "Made in the reign of Ch'ien lung of the Ch'ing dynasty," in seal script is written in underglaze blue on the base.

• Provenance

  To 1945

  T. H. Ching, New York. [1]

  From 1945

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from T. H. Ching, New York. [2]

  Notes:

  [1] Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record.

  [2] See note 1.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Chinese Bird and Flower Painting (January 27, 1986 to June 30, 1986)

  Chinese Flower Paintings (March 18, 1983 to September 22, 1983)

  Chinese Ceramics (March 15, 1982 to July 10, 1986)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1946 (May 6, 1946 to November 17, 1955)

• Previous custodian or owner

  T. H. Ching

• Origin

  Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1790s, 1730s

• Name

  Ching, T. H.

• Place

  China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen

• Topic

  Art, Animals, Magpie, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Birds, Ceramics, Flowers, Jingdezhen ware, Bamboo, Plum blossom

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)