Page 128 - Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings, Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets

1942.9.538 (C-391)
Vase

Qing dynasty, early/mid-eighteenth century
1
Porcelain with apple-green glaze, 18.5 x 10.2 (? A x 4)
Widener Collection

TECHNICAL NOTES
The body is covered with a grayish white glaze, over which there indicate that this vessel was manufactured relatively
is green enamel. A large pinhole appears in the green enamel at early, if not as early as the other three vases.
the base of the neck. There is some slight iridescence in this This particular shape, which the Chinese call "gall-
enamel, which is an especially brilliant emerald hue. The color bladder shaped" (dan ping), is encountered with some
is relatively uniform, lightening only a little near the mouth regularity in other eighteenth-century wares. Apparently
1
rim. A few small, dark spots are scattered over the surface. The this shape was less commonly executed with an apple-
crackle is very fine and even. Although the underglaze ends in a
neat line above the foot, the green enamel consistently spills green glaze, as no exact counterpart has been located. A
over onto the brown, slightly rough foot in an uneven fashion. very similar but slightly smaller piece, described as
The base shows the underlying grayish white glaze without the "cucumber-green" (called guapilu in Chinese), can be
green enamel; the unglazed wedge-shaped foot rim is covered cited as an example. 2
with a brown wash. VB

PROVENANCE
Richard Bennett, Northampton, England; sold 1911 to (Gorer, NOTES
London); (Dreicer & Co., New York, agent for Gorer, London); 1. Of importance for the dating of this piece is a mono-
sold 1914 to Peter A. B. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, chrome red-glazed "gall-bladder-shaped vase" (dan ping) with
Pennsylvania; inheritance from Estate of Peter A. B. Widener by a Yongzheng reignmark in the National Palace Museum,
gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener,
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. Taipei, which is extremely close in shape to this vase. See Ts'ao
1981, 43, no. 10, repro. See also the marked Yongzheng mono-
chrome robin's-egg-blue vase of the same shape: Ts'ao 1981,
HIS STRIKING PEAR-SHAPED VASE is one of the most 95, no. 42, repro. The shape is also encountered in polychrome
Tbeautiful apple-green vessels in the National Gallery wares; for a marked Qianlong famille rose example, see Tsai
collection, despite the pinhole on its neck. Its graceful 1986, 92, no. 75, repro.
profile coupled with its brilliant emerald green surface 2. Ceramic Society 1951, 58, no. 154, pi. 27, bottom row. The
distinguish it from the two more squared-off and pale exhibition was held in 1948.
bottle vases in the collection (1942.9.537 and 1942.9.542),
and relate it more closely to the third, 1942.9.535, whose
glaze is darker than that seen here. Yet the treatment of REFERENCES
the foot and the unstained crackle link all four pieces and 1911 Gorer: 71, no. 349.

112 D E C O R A T I V E A R T S