Large blue and white porcelain baluster vase decorated with - Lot 47

Large blue and white porcelain baluster vase decorated with birds and prunus, Qianlong mark in sigillary script, Qing dynasty, 19th century Large porcelain baluster vase decorated in blue underglaze, featuring a continuous composition of blossoming prunus branches and other plant species, animated by several birds in flight and perched, set against a background of rocks and vegetation in a landscape inspired by traditional Chinese painting; the sinuous branches with buds and blossoming flowers refer to the meihua (prunus) motif, a symbol of perseverance and renewal, while the birds evoke harmony and vitality in the context of the huaniao (painting of flowers and birds) genre; the decoration is executed in various shades of cobalt with a precise, controlled stroke, characteristic of late Jingdezhen productions that deliberately reinterpret Ming-period models; the flared neck is embellished with a frieze of stylized leaf and ruyi motifs in registers, repeated at the base, structuring the whole; the shoulders are applied with masks holding movable rings, a formal element inherited from archaic bronzes and frequently used on Qing porcelain; the proportions, with ample belly, slightly narrowed shoulder and wide neck, reinforce the monumental character of the piece; the base bears a six-character Qianlong mark (Da Qing Qianlong nian zhi) in underglaze blue sigillary script (zhuanshu), apocryphal but in keeping with 19th-century practice of using earlier imperial marks as a stylistic reference; the set was produced in Jingdezhen, a major center of Chinese porcelain, and is a fine example of late Qing blue-and-white production. Details: Height: 53 cm - Weight: 10.9 kg