Chinese, Qing Dynasty | Qianjiang Enamel Square Vase with Bird-and-Flower Design and Poetic Inscriptions
This Chinese antique ceramic vase is a square vase with a strong late-Qing literati-porcelain and qianjiang-enamel aesthetic. It has a mellow grey-white / ivory-white glaze ground; the body has straight square sides turning to a short round neck above, creating a “round within square” variation of form. On either side are moulded elephant-head handles holding rings; the orange-brown heads and rings form a striking focal point against the understated body, adding sculptural dimension to its painterly character. The front shows a traditional bird-and-flower scene: a bird perches among branches and rocks, with chrysanthemums, leaves and plants below and a branch spreading to the right above. Rather than the bright reds and greens of famille-rose porcelain, it is painted in more subdued ink-brown, ochre, pale green and grey-black, achieving an effect close to traditional Chinese ink and color bird-and-flower painting. The other sides bear extensive ink-written poems, inscriptions and red seal marks, giving the piece a very clear character of “porcelain as paper, brush and ink brought onto the vessel.”
