Page 49 - Mounted Oriental Porcelain, The Getty Museum
P. 49

5.   PAIR     OF   L I D D E D   J A R S




                                      THE  PORCELAIN:  Chinese (Kangxi), 1662-1722
                                    THE  GILT-BRONZE  MOUNTS:  French, circa  1715-20
                                                          3
                               1
                 HEIGHT:  i ft.,  i /! in. (34.2 cm);  WIDTH:  i ft., A in. (32.5 cm);  DIAMETER:  i ft., i in. (33  cm)
                                                     75.DI.5.1-.2,




            DESCRIPTION                                          MARKS
            Each  of  the  circular  and  tapering  lidded  jars  is  The gilt-bronze mounts are struck with the  crowned
        composed  of  three  pieces  of  porcelain  cut  down  from  C  mark  nine  times  on  each  of  the  vases:  once  on  the
        two  slightly  larger  jars  and  mounted  with  gilt  bronze.  foot,  lip,  and two  rim mounts,  on  each  handle,  and  on
        The lid is in two  stages, joined midway by a plain mold-  the finial, its base, and the plate in the  interior.
        ing  of gilt  bronze.  There  is a handle  at  each  side of  the
        body  (fig.  5A).                                        COMMENTARY
            The  body  and  lid  are  enameled  in  pale  and  dark  The  shoulders  of  both  lids  have  been  broken  and
        green, aubergine, and iron  red with  lotus,  prunus  buds,  restored  in  a number  of places. The  original  upper  part
        and  Buddhist  "precious  things."  These  are  scattered  of  one  of  the  lids  (fig. 50)  has  been  almost  completely
        over  black-penciled  waves  that  break  against  formal  overpainted;  as this  section  of the  lid is not  broken,  it is
        rockwork  between  double lines of underglaze blue. The  likely  that  the  enamel  overglaze  decoration  has  peeled
        foot  is  held  in  a  simple  circular  mount  of  gilt  bronze  off  and  the  losses repainted  (figs.  50 and 5E).
        with  a gadrooned  shoulder  between plain  borders.  This  The jars were probably made for export,  although
        is linked  at each side by pierced straps to a similar mold-  they  are  decorated  with  traditional  motifs.  They  were
        ing that  encircles the  rim  of the vase. Each strap,  which  made  in  a private,  not  imperial,  kiln,  and  the  products
        is  attached  above  and  below  by  pinned  hinges,  is  of  of  such  kilns  were  not  always  of the  highest  quality.  A
        strapwork  that  incorporates  acanthus  leaves, C-scrolls,  complete jar and lid, i foot,  zVs  inches high but with an
        and  husks.  To the  upper  part  of each  side  is attached  a  aubergine ground,  is in the Musee Guimet,  Paris. 1
        ribbed  handle  that  is  interrupted  at  the  center  with  In  March  1745  an  edict  registered  by  the  French
        adorsed  leaf  cups.                                 Parlement declared that  a tax  should  be levied through-
            The lower stage of the lid is the shoulder of the vase,  out  France  on  all objects  "vieux  et  neufs  de  cuivre pur,
        cut  at  the  original  luted  joint  and  with  the  cylindrical  de  fonte,  de  bronze  et autres  de  cuivre melange,  fondu,
        neck  removed.  It  is joined  to  the  reduced  original  lid,  battus, forge,  plane, grave, dore, argente, et mis en cou-
        which  has had the plain porcelain knop  replaced with  a  leurs," and it was laid down that a mark should be struck
        gilt-bronze finial in the form  of a foliated  cup filled with  on  each  piece  of  bronze  at  the  time  the  tax  was  paid,
        berries  that  rest  on  a  circular  gadrooned  base  of  gilt  much in the way that  taxes  had  been levied on  precious
        bronze.  The  two  stages  of the  lid  are  joined  by  a  bolt  metals  for  many  centuries.  Henri  Nocq, 2  the  great  au-
        that passes from  the finial through  a circular plate of gilt  thority  on French  silver, suggested that  the mark  proba-
        bronze with  matted  design within  the base of the  dome,  bly took  the  form  of a  letter  C  (for cuivre, copper,  the
        where it is secured by a nut  (fig. 50).             principal metal in bronze) surmounted by a crown,  often
                                                             found  on  works  of gilt  bronze.  But he  could  not  prove
                                                             this,  for  the  edict made  no  reference to  the  form  of the










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