Page 283 - Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings, Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets

that of another pair in the National Gallery collection of green, yellow, and aubergine diaper pattern, inter-
(1942.9.633-634) in the conventional handling of the rupted by four flower heads in red midway between four
flowers; the tight, small, foliate filling of the background; reserve medallions with butterflies. On the neck, a band
and the band around the top of the shoulder. Differences of vertical, curved stripes with foliate heads is painted in
are in detail and in the choice of patterns in specific alternating colors of aubergine, green, and red. The
zones. There is an important difference, however, in the peony pattern of the body is repeated on the cover.
1
enamel palette and in overall quality. The execution of The porcelain lid of each jar is fitted with a gilt-bronze
the painting is finer in the jars described here. The rim and pineapple-form knob. The jars rest in a gilt-
enamels and the general excellence of execution of these bronze tripod base, which is not fastened to the porcelain;
porcelains suggest a date somewhat earlier than the other the jar simply sits within it. Three volutes support the
mounted porcelain pairs (1942.9.294-295 and 296-297), sides of the vessel and are connected with laurel garlands.
perhaps in the mid to late eighteenth century. 2 A pineapple ornament hangs from the center of the base.
The two jars are similarly shaped except for a minor D. R Lunsingh Scheurleer discusses the mounts of these
difference in the contour of the neck and shoulder; the jars, rejecting the earlier attribution to Gouthiere. He
overall body shape is ovoid, curving into a short neck. believes they may be of Gouthiere's school or by a follow-
Each jar is surmounted by a slightly domed cover, with a er, but later. Accordingly, they would be later than Louis
4
knob and projecting lip. XVI. Sir Francis Watson and Frances Buckland attribute
The decoration is painted in low-fired, overglaze the mounts to the nineteenth century. 5
enamels of the famille verte palette, comprising trans- JK
parent greens, yellow, aubergine (lavender to purple),
black, and red. These are applied over a colorless-glazed
white porcelain ground. The painting was enhanced in NOTES
some spots with metallic gold. 1. 1942.9.439 and 440 are painted in famille verte enamels, while
The base is banded with repeat panels derived from 1942.9.633 and 634 are painted in famille rose enamels.
traditional lotus-petal panel borders. The space from the 2. Beurdeley dates a fine jar, formerly in the C. T. Loo
belly to just below the shoulder is dominated by a wide- Collection, Paris, without mounts, to early Qianlong
ly scrolling stem with branches of peony leaves and reg- (1736-1795). It bears a strong resemblance to the National
ularly spaced, somewhat stylized peony flower heads. Gallery jars in shape and style of decoration, sharing a similar
The rosette-shaped flowers are drawn in red, expertly shoulder band with medallions, and a dense, small-scale foliate
shaded, with fringed or scalloped petals edged in metal- background for the large flower heads. Beurdeley and Raindre
repro.
1987,
pi. 93, color
lic gold. A small-scale foliate scroll pattern in green
repeated
sometimes
enamel densely fills the white background. Around the 3. is Ruyi, a to trefoil form, the is head of a scepter, an in a band.
emblem
of
said
resemble
It
shoulder, a large-scale, black-and-white alternating tre- authority, which in turn resembles the lingzhi, the mushroom
foil, suggestive of the time-honored ruyi motif 3 and of immortality.
probably based on the "cloud-collar" design of the four-
teenth and fifteenth centuries, is used to separate two 4. Lunsingh Scheurleer 1980, 64.
zones of pattern. In the area above its curved lines, the 5. See the forthcoming volume in this series entitled Decorative
pattern is subtly changed. The small scroll tendrils are in Arts, Part III
white reserve on a red background. The flowers with
leaves, stiffly arranged in vertical pairs, are green, white, REFERENCES
and gold chrysanthemums. On the shoulder is a border 1980 Lunsingh Scheurleer: 64, fig. 178.

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