A LARGE (43 CM) GILT-DECORATED FAMILLE ROSE 'MANDARIN PALETTE' VASE, QIANLONG PERIOD
A LARGE (43 CM) GILT-DECORATED FAMILLE ROSE 'MANDARIN PALETTE' VASE, QIANLONG PERIOD
China, 1736-1795. Well potted with a baluster body supported on a broad foot and rising to a waisted neck with everted rim, the shoulders set with gilt-decorated elephant-head handles. The body is finely painted in gilt and bright enamels with expansive figural scenes on each side, depicting Chinese figures in garden and pavilion settings, enclosed within borders of interlocking ruyi-head outlines against a gilt ground reserved with scrolling foliage, and set with smaller panels enclosing further scenes of a lady with boy attendant, pairs of birds, and landscapes. The neck is similarly decorated with figural reserves and floral ornaments.Provenance: Collection of Sir Stephen Harry Aitchison (old label to base), Lemmington Hall, Northumberland, United Kingdom, and thence by descent. Sir Stephen Harry Aitchison (1863-1942), 1st Baronet of Lemmington, was a British businessman, public figure, and collector. He joined the expanding northern grocery firm Walter Willson Ltd. and married the founder’s daughter, Alice Mary Willson, in 1891, subsequently inheriting and developing the business. A Justice of the Peace for Newcastle upon Tyne and Northumberland and president of the Newcastle Central Division Conservative Association, he was knighted in 1928 for political and public services in Northumberland and created a baronet in 1938. In 1913, Aitchison acquired Lemmington Hall, then a roofless ruin, and restored it as his family seat. The project reveals his pronounced antiquarian taste: historic panelling, flooring, marble fireplaces, and other architectural elements were acquired from the Château de Bar-le-Duc in France and Camelford House in London, while in 1927 he purchased an eighteenth-century monumental column designed by Sir John Soane at Felbridge Park and had it transported and re-erected in the grounds. His collection extended to European paintings and Asian works of art.Condition: Good condition with some old wear and expected firing irregularities. Rubbing to gilt and minor flaking to enamels. The base drilled.Weight: 3.3 kg Dimensions: Height 42.8 cmThe present vase is a fine example of the celebrated “Mandarin palette” of Chinese export porcelain developed during the Qianlong period (1736-1795). The term refers to a decorative fashion characterized by scenes of Chinese figures, scholars, officials, and ladies arranged within shaped reserves, often set against elaborate floral, scroll, or diaper grounds. These compositions reflected European fascination with an idealized image of Chinese courtly life and everyday customs, becoming among the most sought-after forms of Chinese export porcelain in the eighteenth century.The present vase was produced within the broader tradition of Canton ware, referring to porcelain decorated in the workshops of Guangzhou for the export market. While the porcelain bodies were often made at Jingdezhen and subsequently sent to Canton for decoration, Canton workshops specialized in adapting Chinese porcelain to Western tastes, incorporating elaborate figural scenes, gilt ornament, and European-inspired decorative elements. The rich palette of the present vase belongs to the famille rose tradition, introduced during the Yongzheng period and characterized by softer pastel enamels, refined shading, and the use of pink tones derived from colloidal gold.Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 24 October 2013, lot 64 Price: USD 11,250 or approx. EUR 14,000 (for two) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A pair of Chinese Export porcelain 'Mandarin-palette' vase and covers, circa 1775 Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decoration, motifs, and size (42.5 cm). Note the covers.
A LARGE (43 CM) GILT-DECORATED FAMILLE ROSE 'MANDARIN PALETTE' VASE, QIANLONG PERIOD
China, 1736-1795. Well potted with a baluster body supported on a broad foot and rising to a waisted neck with everted rim, the shoulders set with gilt-decorated elephant-head handles. The body is finely painted in gilt and bright enamels with expansive figural scenes on each side, depicting Chinese figures in garden and pavilion settings, enclosed within borders of interlocking ruyi-head outlines against a gilt ground reserved with scrolling foliage, and set with smaller panels enclosing further scenes of a lady with boy attendant, pairs of birds, and landscapes. The neck is similarly decorated with figural reserves and floral ornaments.Provenance: Collection of Sir Stephen Harry Aitchison (old label to base), Lemmington Hall, Northumberland, United Kingdom, and thence by descent. Sir Stephen Harry Aitchison (1863-1942), 1st Baronet of Lemmington, was a British businessman, public figure, and collector. He joined the expanding northern grocery firm Walter Willson Ltd. and married the founder’s daughter, Alice Mary Willson, in 1891, subsequently inheriting and developing the business. A Justice of the Peace for Newcastle upon Tyne and Northumberland and president of the Newcastle Central Division Conservative Association, he was knighted in 1928 for political and public services in Northumberland and created a baronet in 1938. In 1913, Aitchison acquired Lemmington Hall, then a roofless ruin, and restored it as his family seat. The project reveals his pronounced antiquarian taste: historic panelling, flooring, marble fireplaces, and other architectural elements were acquired from the Château de Bar-le-Duc in France and Camelford House in London, while in 1927 he purchased an eighteenth-century monumental column designed by Sir John Soane at Felbridge Park and had it transported and re-erected in the grounds. His collection extended to European paintings and Asian works of art.Condition: Good condition with some old wear and expected firing irregularities. Rubbing to gilt and minor flaking to enamels. The base drilled.Weight: 3.3 kg Dimensions: Height 42.8 cmThe present vase is a fine example of the celebrated “Mandarin palette” of Chinese export porcelain developed during the Qianlong period (1736-1795). The term refers to a decorative fashion characterized by scenes of Chinese figures, scholars, officials, and ladies arranged within shaped reserves, often set against elaborate floral, scroll, or diaper grounds. These compositions reflected European fascination with an idealized image of Chinese courtly life and everyday customs, becoming among the most sought-after forms of Chinese export porcelain in the eighteenth century.The present vase was produced within the broader tradition of Canton ware, referring to porcelain decorated in the workshops of Guangzhou for the export market. While the porcelain bodies were often made at Jingdezhen and subsequently sent to Canton for decoration, Canton workshops specialized in adapting Chinese porcelain to Western tastes, incorporating elaborate figural scenes, gilt ornament, and European-inspired decorative elements. The rich palette of the present vase belongs to the famille rose tradition, introduced during the Yongzheng period and characterized by softer pastel enamels, refined shading, and the use of pink tones derived from colloidal gold.Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 24 October 2013, lot 64 Price: USD 11,250 or approx. EUR 14,000 (for two) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A pair of Chinese Export porcelain 'Mandarin-palette' vase and covers, circa 1775 Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decoration, motifs, and size (42.5 cm). Note the covers.
