A PAIR OF CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE VASES, PROBABLY 19TH CENTUR

Pair of baluster vases; China, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period, 1736-1795. Glazed porcelain and gilt bronze mounts. One of the mounts is missing. They have an inscription on the base. Measurements: 64,5 x 25,5 x 25,5 cm (x2). Pair of baluster vases made of porcelain enameled in blue, known as "powder blue". Both pieces have vegetal ornamentation in white on blue and elements in relief such as the dragons that act as handles. The mouths are adorned with gilded bronze mounts in which different fruits such as bunches of grapes are represented. The Qianlong emperor, belonging to the Qing dynasty, ruled China between 1736 and 1795, and is remembered to this day as one of the most cultured emperors and one of the most important in terms of art collecting. His long reign was a particularly interesting time in Chinese history. At the time, the country was the richest and most populous nation in the world. Qianlong was able to preserve and foster his own traditions of Manchu hunter and warrior, and combined them with the adoption of Confucianism's principles of political and cultural leadership, thus achieving an effective and stable government. In fact, it was precisely his ability to adopt Chinese customs, while still honoring his Manchu tradition, that made him one of the most successful emperors of the Qing dynasty. Qianlong studied Chinese painting, and especially enjoyed the art of calligraphy, highly regarded in this culture, conceived in fact as the highest of the arts. One of the saddles is missing.