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Lot Essay
Few famille verte Kangxi-period rouleau vases of such magnificent size with narrative scenes survive. The present vase is impressive not only for its imposing size, but for the sophisticated and animated painting style and the very fine condition. Porcelain decorated with famous episodes from the lives of noteworthy scholars and heroes from China’s historical past, or from popular novels, became particularly popular during the mid-seventeenth century when the collapse of the Ming dynasty freed the potters of Jingdezhen from imperial influence. New and creative painting styles emerged in the blue and white and wucai palettes, as production shifted to appeal to the literati class.
The success of this innovative style is evident, as it continued to be popular into the Kangxi period and expanded to include the famille verte palette. Hunting scenes, such as that seen on the current vase, battles and romantic stories were favorite themes, complimented by decorative panels of landscapes, ‘antiques’ or flowers. The decoration on the current vase is particularly noteworthy in the extensive use of iron-red enamel, which adds even more strength to the powerfully rendered scene.
A small group of related famille verte vases of similar massive size to the present example and decorated with continuous, narrative scenes, can be found in private and museum collections, such as the example in The Taft Museum, Cincinnati, illustrated in The Taft Museum, Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, New York, 1995, pp. 644-654 (1931.160), showing a continuous scene of figures on horseback depicting the battle scene of The Tale of Kunyang City, beneath landscape panels on the neck. Another large famille verte rouleau from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, previously in the Cleveland Museum of Art, features a continuous scene from the novel Investiture of the Gods, with decorative bands around the neck, and was sold at Christie’s New York, 30 March 2005, lot 396, and subsequently at Sotheby’s New York, 20 March 2018, lot 322, as well as illustrated in J. Stamen and C. Volk, A Culture Revealed, Kangxi-Era Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, Boston, 2017, p. 167, no. 60. For a large rouleau vase decorated with a gathering of warriors below a scene of Shoulao on the neck, similar to that on the neck of the current vase, see, R. L. d'Argencé, Chinese Ceramics in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1967, p. 146, pl. 68.
Other large famille verte vases of comparable size to the current example, but decorated with panels of beasts, animals and flowers, include two from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 15 September 2016, lots 870 and 871, as well as one from the collection of Augustus the Strong (1670-1733), Dresden, illustrated by W. Bondy in K'ang-hsi, Munchen, 1923, p. 136, and one from an English collection, ibid., p.140.
The success of this innovative style is evident, as it continued to be popular into the Kangxi period and expanded to include the famille verte palette. Hunting scenes, such as that seen on the current vase, battles and romantic stories were favorite themes, complimented by decorative panels of landscapes, ‘antiques’ or flowers. The decoration on the current vase is particularly noteworthy in the extensive use of iron-red enamel, which adds even more strength to the powerfully rendered scene.
A small group of related famille verte vases of similar massive size to the present example and decorated with continuous, narrative scenes, can be found in private and museum collections, such as the example in The Taft Museum, Cincinnati, illustrated in The Taft Museum, Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, New York, 1995, pp. 644-654 (1931.160), showing a continuous scene of figures on horseback depicting the battle scene of The Tale of Kunyang City, beneath landscape panels on the neck. Another large famille verte rouleau from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, previously in the Cleveland Museum of Art, features a continuous scene from the novel Investiture of the Gods, with decorative bands around the neck, and was sold at Christie’s New York, 30 March 2005, lot 396, and subsequently at Sotheby’s New York, 20 March 2018, lot 322, as well as illustrated in J. Stamen and C. Volk, A Culture Revealed, Kangxi-Era Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, Boston, 2017, p. 167, no. 60. For a large rouleau vase decorated with a gathering of warriors below a scene of Shoulao on the neck, similar to that on the neck of the current vase, see, R. L. d'Argencé, Chinese Ceramics in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1967, p. 146, pl. 68.
Other large famille verte vases of comparable size to the current example, but decorated with panels of beasts, animals and flowers, include two from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 15 September 2016, lots 870 and 871, as well as one from the collection of Augustus the Strong (1670-1733), Dresden, illustrated by W. Bondy in K'ang-hsi, Munchen, 1923, p. 136, and one from an English collection, ibid., p.140.