Page 76 - Reginald and Lena Palmer Collection EXHIBITION, Bonhams London Oct 25 to November 2 2021

‘Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting’, 18th century, woodblock print,
ink and colour on paper; image courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Superbly enamelled in multiple shades of green, pink and yellow with Adding a further design challenge for the porcelain painter, the
intertwining blossoming branches of flowering peonies, beginning depiction of the blossoming chrysanthemum branches extends
on the reverse and spilling over into the interior, this exceptional dish over the rim of the bowls and continues well into their interior. This
epitomises the high technical standards and artistry in the decoration technique, known as guoqiangzhi (‘flowering branch passing over the
of famille rose porcelains during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor. wall’), a homophone of the phrase ‘Eternal Governance’, appears to
have first developed towards the end of the Ming dynasty and won
The elegant rendering of peonies, depicted in various stages of bloom, Imperial favour at the Court of the Qing Emperors. It was during the
was probably inspired by the celebrated paintings of Yun Shouping Yongzheng period that the guozhihua reached its peak, in terms of
(1633-1690) and his unique manner of combining bold colours and both accomplished execution and popularity at Court, which led to
washes to emphasise the distinct beauty of flowers. See a painting the production of finely enamelled vessels of both large and small size
of blossoming peonies and chrysanthemums by Yun included in his exquisitely decorated with this elaborate technique.
Shan shui hua hui ce (‘Album of Mountains, Waters, Flowers and
Grasses’), in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated A surviving record from the Workshops of the Imperial Household
by Lu Chenglong, ‘Yongzheng yuyao ciqi gaishu (A Brief Account of Department, the Zaobanchu, relates to the Yongzheng Emperor’s
Yongzheng Period Imperial Porcelain)’, in Gugong bowuyuan bashi interest in the ‘long branch’ design, recording that: ‘On the 19th
huadan gu taoci guoji xueshu yantaohui lunwen ji, Beijing, 2007, day, 4th month, of the 9th year of the Yongzheng reign...His Majesty
p.212, fig.26. ordered glazed and unglazed porcelain decorated with the enamelled
design of the Everlasting Tranquillity and Eternal Governance...’. The
The pink and white, pink-tipped peonies display a rather remarkable ingenious design was extremely difficult to obtain and required the
use of finely prepared enamels where the artist made full use of superb skills of artists with exceptional talent. When successfully
the available palette to achieve great subtlety in colour and texture. executed, as exemplified in the present dish, it is possible for each side
Layering and mixing of pink, white, yellow and pale green enamels of the vessel to be viewed as a complete design in its own right.
created both naturalism of colour and a sense of volume conveyed by
the curling petals. By the same token, on the leaves, shades of green Famille rose dishes decorated with blossoming peonies and
blend from one tone to another, sometimes shading to a bluer tone. dragonflies, dating to the Yongzheng period, are rare. Compare
The blossoms themselves were clearly painted by an artist who was with a similar famille rose saucer dish decorated with blossoming
either very familiar with these flowers, or was working with the actual peonies and a dragonfly, Yongzheng four-character mark and of the
flowers in front of him. Each detail is naturalistically shown including the period, illustrated by R.Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meyingtang
typical slight angularity of the stems and the distinctive way in which Collection, London, 1994-2010, vo.2, no.959. See also another famille
the peony buds open. rose dish, Yongzheng mark and of the period, decorated with similar
designs, from the Umezawa Gallery, Tokyo, illustrated in Mayuyama,
Seventy Years, vol.1, Tokyo, 1976, p.353, no.1057.

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