A Chinese Vase, Qianlong or Jiaqing, circa 1760-1820
With a fluted and flared neck, this ovoid blanc de chine vase, set on a raised squarish foot, is moulded with two panels of deer beneath arching bamboo fronds. The base is decorated with incised ruyi scrolls.
In Chinese lore, the deer is traditionally a symbol for longevity and wealth and was believed to be the only animal able to find the magical fungus of immortality (lingzhi).
After the 1750s, moulded as opposed to applied decoration was preferred on blanc de chineporcelain. The bluish hint to the glaze also suggests a date of manufacture in the later 18th or early 19th century.
Provenance: The Anthony Collection of White Porcelain, exhibited Stockspring Antiques, London, June 2017, no.86; an English Private Collection.
Condition: Excellent – no damage or restoration, just minor potting, glazing and firing irregularities, such as tiny clay tears and pinholes.
Dimensions: Height 17 cm
Blanc de Chine: The Porcelain of Têhua in Fukien, P.J. Donnelly (Praeger, 1969).