Provenance:
- With Bluett London (label)
- Van Dijk Collection, The Netherlands 2023
Condition Report Available
€ 4,800
This object can be viewed in our gallery.
A robustly potted Blanc de Chine hexagonal jardinière, decorated on one side with an elongated branch of plum blossom. The high and wide upper rim is stepped on the inside. The raised flower decoration, would have been applied after the body had been shaped before glazing and firing. The jardinière stands on a raised hexagonal foot rim – mirroring the outline of the bowl. This is an unusual shape for Blanc de Chine porcelain, though the plum blossom is a motif which frequently occurs on these wares.
The plum tree in China is the botanical Prunus mume or mei - more closely related to the apricot than the plum. Its blossom (meihua 梅花) is a frequently used decorative motif in Chinese art, considered a beautiful and emblematic flower, laden with symbolic meaning. Particularly admired for its purity and beauty, it is also referred to as ‘the first amongst flowers’. It blooms very early in the year, despite harsh and cold winter conditions. Therefore it has not only come to represent winter, embodying renewal, hope and resilience in hardship. This flower is often associated with longevity and vigour in old age, as it blooms on withered old branches. This tree also offers many opportunities for word play. Mei (plum 梅) and mei (eyebrow 眉) are homophones, a long bushy eyebrow considered a symbol of long life in China. This bowl could have therefore been a birthday gift wishing someone a happy and long life.
Blanc de Chine - literally white of China - is a term which refers to the typical white porcelain objects produced by kilns in the Dehua area of Fujian province. The white body contains very little iron oxide, which allowed it to be fired in an oxidising atmosphere, resulting in a creamy-white glossy glaze. The colour and style of Blanc de Chine objects, makes them distinguishable from the porcelain from kilns in Jingdezhen. Dehua porcelain production and quality peaked in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Facetted jardinières were popular during the Kangxi period in the Qing dynasty, though understated Blanc de Chine examples are quite unusual. Vases, teapots, cups and bowls with plum blossom decoration are more common.
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