Canton, China Pair Of Baluster Vases Famille Rose Enamel Qing Dynasty, 19th Century H. 24.5 Cm

Canton, China | Pair of Baluster Vases | Famille Rose Enamel | Qing Dynasty, 19th Century | H. 24.5 cm

A pair of baluster vases in Canton famille rose enamel, China, Qing dynasty, 19th century. Height: 24.5 cm each.

Please note on condition: One vase is in very good original condition. The second vase has been restored - please request detailed photographs of the restoration via eBay messaging before purchase.

The bodies are decorated in the characteristic Canton export palette - a vivid polychrome of rose-pink, apple-green, turquoise, coral-red, and gilt - with two large shaped cartouches enclosing palace and court scenes: groups of elegantly robed ladies and court figures in richly appointed interior settings with pavilion architecture, rendered with the fine brushwork characteristic of the Canton workshops of the mid-to-late Qing period. The cartouches are framed by a dense ground of peony blossoms, butterflies, and foliate scrolls in the Rose Mandarin / Canton tradition.

The shoulders and neck carry applied moulded and gilt decorations: Fô dogs (Buddhist lions) as side handles, and Chilongs - stylized hornless dragons - applied in relief to the shoulder transition, all gilded. The flared, lobed rim is decorated with a frieze of floral reserves on coral-red ground. The neck panels show single standing court figures within architectural cartouches.

DimensionsHeight: 24.5 cm (9.6 in) each

Condition One vase: very good. One vase: restored - please enquire for detailed photographs of the restoration. Additional photographs available on request via eBay messaging.

Historical ContextCanton famille rose - the Chinese export porcelain decorated in the workshops of Canton (Guangzhou) for the European and American market - represents one of the most significant chapters in the history of East-West trade in luxury objects. White porcelain bodies were manufactured at Jingdezhen, the imperial porcelain city of Jiangxi province, and transported to Canton for decoration in the famille rose palette: a polychrome enamel technique developed during the Yongzheng period (1723-1735) and refined throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

The decoration programme of these vases - palace scenes in shaped cartouches on a ground of peony, butterfly, and foliage - belongs to the Rose Mandarin subcategory of Canton export ware, distinguished by the prominent presence of court figures alongside floral elements. The applied Fô dog handles and Chilong dragons at the shoulder are characteristic features of Canton baluster vases produced for the Western market from the mid-19th century onward, combining sculptural relief with the dense polychrome of the painted surface.

Canton famille rose vases of this type are represented in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem; the Musée Guimet, Paris; and comparable institutions of Asian decorative arts internationally.

Literature: Feller, Quentin: Chinese Export Porcelain in the 19th Century: The Canton Famille Rose Porcelains. Salem, 1975.

Howard, David Sanctuary / Ayers, John: China for the West. Chinese Porcelain and Other Decorative Arts for Export. 2 vols. London / New York, 1978.

Available for viewing by appointment at our Düsseldorf gallery.

Shipping: This pair requires specialist packing and art shipping. Please provide your full postal address via E-Mail for an exact shipping quotation before purchase. Insurance strongly recommended.

VAT / TaxEU buyers (private): 19% German VAT applies. EU business buyers: please provide your valid VAT identification number prior to purchase. Import duties outside the EU are the buyer's responsibility.

PaymentPayment due within 3 days of purchase. Please contact me via E-Mail for available payment methods before completing checkout. Bank transfer preferred.

Returns: Returns accepted only in cases of significant misdescription. The restoration of one vase is disclosed above and does not constitute grounds for return if accurately described.