Page 119 - Mounted Oriental Porcelain Getty Museum

22. VASE

THE PORCELAIN: Chinese (Kangxi), 1662-172,2,
THE GILT-BRONZEMOUNTS: French (Paris), circa 1770, attributed to Pierre Gouthiere (i732?-i8i3/i4, master 1758)

HEIGHT: i ft., 9^4 in. (54.2 cm); WIDTH: io5/8 in. (27 cm); DEPTH: 9% in. (25 cm)
87.01.137

DESCRIPTION FlG. 22.A

The surface of the vase is incised with magnolias, Kangxi reign. The magnolia is the symbol of nobility
rocks, geese, a moon or a sun, and a bamboo plant and purity. Its Chinese name, yulan, consists of two
around the base. It is covered with a dark purple glaze characters: yu for jade (long life) and Ian for cymbidium
(purity). Purple magnolia blossoms were used medici-
(fig. 22A). nally in China.

The vase is mounted with gilt bronze around the Originally, this vase was probably one of a pair. An
lip and foot. A band of alternating gadroons and small almost identically mounted pair in the collections of the
leafy branches encircles the rim. Placed immediately Baron and Baronne Cassel van Doom was sold at auc-
below is a grapevine with leaves and fruit. Goats' heads tion in 1954 and again in 1981 from the Bensimon
are mounted on the side of the vase beneath the grape-
vine, their horns curled back and up onto the rim. From
their necks depend trophies of crossed branches of
grapevine with leaves and fruit, bound by a ribbon to
panpipes (figs. 22B and 22C).The vase is supported on
four lion's paws. At the sides double scrolling acanthus
branches rise from the feet, each terminating in a cock's
head. The scrolls support seated baby satyrs eating
grapes (fig. 220). At the front and back of the vase the
lion's paw feet are topped with acanthus which extend
over the foot mount. The latter is decorated at the top
edge with a twisted band above a torus molding of laurel
leaves and berries. A mount of opposed fruiting acan-
thus leaf scrolls flanked by vines rises above the foot rim
at the front and back of the vase.

MARKS None.

COMMENTARY

The vase is intact and has not been cut down.
Vases of this form were known as rouleaux during the
eighteenth century because they were tall and cylindri-
cal. The origin of this form is a ritualistic bronze vessel
called a gu, which was first used in China during the
Shang dynasty (circa 1600-1000 B.C.). The purple glaze
was a new type, invented at the imperial kilns during the

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