281.
A ‘FAMILLE ROSE’ WALL VASE
Qing dynasty, Qianlong period
42,7 cm high
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 4919.
Although this vase was made explicitly to be exported to Europe, wall vases of similar shape and size were also very popular in China. The earliest examples date back to the late Ming dynasty, but their popularity greatly increased during the eighteenth century, especially during the reign of Qianlong who had a special passion for this kind of vessel: thirteen wall vases are in fact displayed in the San Xi Tang (The Hall of Three Rarities), his favoured room in the Yang Xin Dian (The Hall of Mental Cultivation) in the Forbidden City.
