87 - Porcelain vase decorated with a woman in a garden and calligraphic inscriptions, China, Guangxu period (1875–1908), late 19th century

Porcelain vase decorated with a woman in a garden and calligraphic inscriptions, China, Guangxu period (1875–1908), late 19th century Porcelain baluster vase adorned with two elephant-head handles, decorated with polychrome enamel painting in the qianjiangcai (浅绛彩) style, a porcelain painting movement developed in Jingdezhen during the late Qing Dynasty, combining a palette of soft colors with compositions inspired by the painting and calligraphy of the literati. The vase is adorned with a young woman dressed in a pink and blue gown, holding a flowering branch in one hand and a folding fan in the other, leaning against a bamboo fence, surrounded by chrysanthemums and flowering branches, the entire scene rendered in washes of gray, blue, pink, and yellow. The upper part is embellished with several calligraphic inscriptions in black and red characters, accompanied by red seals, while the other side bears an inscription followed by the signature 徐善琴 — Xu Shanqin, a porcelain painter active in Jingdezhen in the late 19th century and associated with the qianjiangcai movement. Height: 21.8 cm