163 - A SMALL POLYCHROME-DECORATED JAR, CHINA, LATE MING DYNASTY

A SMALL POLYCHROME-DECORATED JAR, CHINA, LATE MING DYNASTY Dimensions: Height 12 cm Wide 13,7 cm Depth 13,7 cm Weight: 613 grams A small Chinese porcelain jar of rounded form with a short slightly everted neck, decorated in iron-red and green enamels on a pale glazed ground. Scrolling vines carrying stylised blossoms, leaves and berries encircle the body, framed by simple linear and spiral borders. The painting is lively and direct, with the brushwork remaining visibly spontaneous rather than mechanically regular. The restricted red-and-green palette belongs to a long tradition of Chinese polychrome decoration in which a few strong colours were used to create maximum visual contrast. On a small vessel such as this, the repeated floral scrolls give the body a continuous rhythm while leaving enough pale ground visible to prevent the ornament from becoming heavy. Turning marks remain visible on the recessed base, reinforcing the handmade quality of the jar. Its modest scale and freely painted surface give it an appealing immediacy, closer to a lively workshop object than to highly formal court porcelain.