Page 273 - Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings, Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets

1972.43-56-57 (C-6ii-6i2)
foot-ring and reignmark foot-ring and reignmark
on base of 1972.43.56
Pair of Small Bottles
Chinese Republic (1925-1929)
Porcelain with overglaze enamels, each: 8.6 x 5.4 (3% x 2Vs)
Harry G. Steele Collection, Gift of Grace C. Steele
INSCRIPTIONS
Spuriously inscribed in seal script on the base in red enamel in
two columns of two characters each: Qianlong nian zhi [made
in the reign of Qianlong]
TECHNICAL NOTES
Both bottles are covered by a shiny colorless glaze.
PROVENANCE
Harry G. Steele [1881-1941], Pasadena; his widow, Grace C. Steele.
HE LANDSCAPES, PAINTED IN BLACK and two tones of
Tred enamel, are nearly identical on these two vessels.
Several scholars are shown next to pavilions surrounded
by trees. In the river a boat is poled by a solitary boat-
man. The style of painting and the enamel colors are
identical to the thinly potted porcelains made during the
Hongxian period (1912-1916) and later. 1 Furthermore,
the Qianlong mark inscribed on the base is very poorly
written and uses forms of seal script that do not appear
on authentic Qianlong examples.
SL
NOTES
i. On thinly potted porcelains made after 1911, see van Oort
i977> 155-158. As van Oort has pointed out (p. 156), vessels later
than Hongxian "usually bear the Qianlong base marks."
on base of 1972.43.57
P O R C E L A I N S 257