79 - A rare and magnificent Chinese 'yangcai' famille rose baluster vase of massive proportions

A rare and magnificent Chinese 'yangcai' famille rose baluster vase of massive proportions Qing dynasty, Qianlong/Jiaqing period Lavishly enamelled with finely-detailed, Baoxiang flower and leaves on the imitation-sgraffiato, pink scrolling ground, the shoulder with brocaded borders, the lower register with a folded corner imitating fabric, enclosing bats and suspending musical stones, the gently flared neck with formal lappet borders outlined with interlocking scrolls and enclosing floral blossoms, mirrored by a further lappet band at the foot, also enclosing blossoms, the interior turquoise, the base unglazed, 61cm high. Provenance: Acquired by repute in China circa 1960s by shipping magnate Elias Calogeras (1933-2018) whilst on a business trip, and thence by descent within the family to the present owner. 清乾隆/嘉慶 粉地洋彩洋花大瓶 來源：據傳於約1960年代，由航運業鉅子 Elias Calogeras（1933–2018）在中國出差期間購得，其後由家族世代傳承至現任藏家。 Detailed textual records of Yangcai in its early stages remain scarce. It is generally believed to have emerged in the late Kangxi period, following the successful development of porcelain-bodied Falangcai in the imperial palace, and to have flourished during the Yongzheng reign. According to the Zaobanchu Archives: Falangcai Workshop (Huojidang: Falang zuo), an entry dated the twelfth day of the seventh month in the sixth year of the Yongzheng reign (1728) records: “Prince Yi presented … newly refined Falangcai pigments: moon-white, white, yellow, green … nine colours in all … ascertain the quantities of the moon-white and pine-pollen colours and provide them to Nian Xiyao for porcelain firing.” Nian Xiyao served as Superintendent of Porcelain at Jingdezhen from the fourth to the thirteenth year of the Yongzheng reign (1726–1735). This record suggests that, by around the sixth year (1728), the Jingdezhen imperial kilns may already have been producing Yangcai wares. Moreover, in the seventh month of the seventh year (1729), Nian Xiyao sent two experienced enamel painters, Zhou Yue and Wu Shiqi, from Jiangxi to the capital. This episode provides further evidence that Yangcai porcelain painting was already being practiced at Jingdezhen at the time. In the thirteenth year of the Yongzheng reign (1735), Tang Ying’s Stele Inscription on Ceramic Affairs (Taowu xulüe beiji) states: “Yangcai vessels were newly made in our dynasty by imitating the Western method of painted Falangcai enamel; figures, landscapes, flowers, and birds were all rendered with exquisite delicacy and lifelike refinement.” Taken together, these records suggest that by the Yongzheng period, Yangcai production at Jingdezhen had become technically sophisticated and firmly established. The earliest known formal definition of Yangcai dates to the eighth year of the Qianlong reign (1743). In the section on Yangcai Wares in Illustrated Explanations of the Manufacture of Ceramics (Taoye tushuo), Tang Ying, then Superintendent of Porcelain, wrote: “White wares of upright vessels form are painted in polychrome colours, imitating Western styles; hence they are called Yangcai. Skilled painters well versed in the art must first grind and finely mix the various pigments … The pigments used are the same as those for Falangcai colours, and there are three methods of preparing them: one uses yunxiang oil [a locally produced oil used as a substitute for imported enamel oil], one uses glue water, and one uses clear water. Oil-based colours are suited to shading and blending; those mixed with glue are suitable for rubbing and wiping; while colours prepared with clear water are suited to building up and filling in the decoration. During painting, some painters work with the vessel placed on a table, some hold it in their hands, while others recline beside it at a lower level. Each position is adopted according to the size and form of the vessel, so as to facilitate the movement of the brush.” Tang Ying’s explanation highlights two defining features of Yangcai. First, it was characterized by a rich palette, with pigments closely resembling those used for Falangcai. Second, its vessels could be complex in form, requiring painters working on larger pieces to adjust their posture and the angle of approach to suit the vessel’s shape. During the Qianlong reign, under the supervision of Tang Ying, Yangcai porcelain at the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen entered a period of remarkable flourishing. Its forms and decoration grew increasingly elaborate, while both the range and volume of production far surpassed those of the Yongzheng period. At the same time, porcelain production came to be governed with ever greater exactitude by the tastes and preferences of the emperor. One type of vessel recorded in the palace archives appears to bear a close relation to this large pink-ground Yangcai vase in the sale. An entry in the Palace Wo