Fountain; China, Qing Dynasty, Quianlong period, around 1750. Porcelain. pink family.

Source; China, Qing Dynasty, Quianlong period, ca. 1750.
Porcelain. Pink family.
Size: 4 x 34 x 26.5 cm.
Porcelain fountain with a mixtilinear lip profile that gives dynamism to the piece. The figurative ornamentation stands out for the presence of a seated Buddha in the centre accompanied by pink floral arrangements. The Rose Family style originated at the end of the Kangxi period, the emperor of the Qing dynasty who reigned from 1662 to 1722. The new ornamental style is based on the introduction of new enamels, the most famous of which is pink, after which the style is named. Other new colours were also added, such as opaque yellow, white and the now independent black (until then, in order to fix the black glaze, it had to be covered with a glaze of another colour, usually translucent green). Technically, the most important is opaque white, as it could be mixed with other glazes to achieve a wide range of pastel shades, as well as allowing a smooth tonal gradation that made it possible to successfully imitate Western painting. What defines the Rose Family, therefore, is not the predominance of this colour, but this new polychrome. The new style led to the abandonment of the previously predominant Green Family, characterised by the abundance of this colour and the use of more watery glazes.
The Ching or Qing Dynasty, also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last of the Chinese imperial dynasties. Founded in present-day northeastern China by the Manchu clan in 1644, its rule ended with the abdication of the last Emperor in 1912 by the Xinhai Revolution and the establishment of the Republic of China, all the while maintaining the capital at Beijing. In general, traditional art forms flourished in many different and varied levels and formats, thanks to a highly educated upper class, a thriving publishing industry of books, pamphlets, etc., really prosperous cities and the Confucian emphasis on cultivating the mind. While the Emperors themselves were often outstanding artists (especially in painting), the best work was done by scholars and the urban elite in calligraphy and painting, both areas of great interest to the court. Even cuisine was elevated as a source of cultural pride in this period, taking elements from the past and working on them to reach new heights.