147. PHOTO 350
A ‘FAMILLE VERTE’ DOUBLE GOURD VASE, HULUPING, WITH GILT METAL MOUNT
the vase Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, early 18th century; the mount probably French, late 18th-early 19th century
20,5 cm high
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 4647.
Originally, the vase had a long cylindrical neck (see for example the vase at the following entry) which went accidentally broken and then covered with the bronze mount.
Chrysanthemums (ju) which appear on the lower globular section of this vase, are emblems of autumn because they begin blooming in the ninth month. This flower is also a symbol of abundance because its name is homophone of another character which means “entire, whole”.
Chrysanthemums are also related to scholars and intellectuals who aspire to a life of retirement. The cultivation of these flowers becomes therefore a virtuous occupation, especially at an old age, as poetically expressed by Tao Yuanming (365-427), a famous literati who choose to retire from the mundane life and preferred to return to the simplicity of a life with a daily and symbiotic contact with nature.
