Page 48 - Christie's Important Chinese Art, March 23 to 24 2023 New York

This superbly enameled vase, also referred to
as a 'rolwagen', is one of the most noteworthy
examples of its type. Created in the mid-17 th
century, when the artisans at Jingdezhen enjoyed
great freedom of expression due to a pause in
imperial control, this vase exhibits the painterly
expression so characteristic of this short period
in time, rendered in an unusually fine painting
style. The scene, of an exuberant phoenix perched
on bold blue rocks while gazing up at the sun,
is imbued with a an air of serenity as wispy
blue clouds drift above. The bold tones of red,
blue and green unite the scene and balance the
composition.

The phoenix, known as the king of birds, is
shown here with the peony, the king of flowers.
T. T. Bartholomew notes in Hidden Meanings in
Chinese Art, San Francisco, 200, p. 160-61, that
“when (the phoenix) flies, the rest of the birds
follow.” And additionally, “the sun symbolizes the
yang or male principle of brightness and warmth,
as well as righteousness and promotion. The
auspicious motif symbolizes all the good things
in life … Pairing the king of birds with the king of
flowers, the peony, augurs great blessings and
prosperity, and suggests the expression fugue
jixiang (May there be wealth, rank and good
fortune).”

The composition of the scene, with a large bird
perched on rocks with surrounding foliage, can be
th
found on related vases from the mid-17 century,
however the inclusion of the phoenix is rare. A
slightly taller (48 cm.) wucai vase decorated with
peacocks from the Butler Family Collection is
illustrated by M. Butler, J. Curtis and S. Little in
Shunzhi Porcelain, Treasures from an Unknown
Reign, Alexandria, VA, 2002, p. 114, no. 16. See,
also, a blue and white version with peacock in
the Shanghai Museum, illustrated by M. Butler
and Wang Qingzheng in Beauty’s Enchantment,
Seventeenth Century Jingdezhen Porcelain from
the Shanghai Museum and the Butler Collections,
Hong Kong, p. 151, no. 41.