158 - Baluster vase with courtly scenes, Qing Dynasty Chinese porcelain, 18th century

Baluster vase with courtly scenes, Qing Dynasty Chinese porcelain, 18th century Underglaze blue porcelain. Dimensions not specified. Baluster-shaped vase decorated with figurative scenes arranged in narrative registers, depicting scholars and ladies of the court in an enclosed garden, among stylized rocks and trees. The figures are integrated into a balanced landscape, with a composition that alternates architecture, vegetation, and open spaces, creating visual depth. The drawing is fine and precise, with a controlled use of cobalt blue that lends rhythm and elegance to the whole. The piece has been subsequently mounted on a bronze base and adapted as a lamp, a common intervention in Europe that does not detract from the decorative quality of the original object. Stylistically, the work belongs to 18th-century Qing Dynasty Chinese porcelain, characterized by compositional harmony and the technical excellence of underglaze glazing.