135.
A ‘FAMILLE VERTE’ ROULEAU BALUSTER VASE
Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, early 18th century
45 cm high
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 3743.
The body with a white stylized lotus meander reserved on a red ground, two bigger rounded-corners rectangular cartouches alternating with two pairs of smaller reserves one with leaf form the other of square shape with rounded corners, one of the bigger cartouches with a composition of chrysanthemus and rocks and a gilded inscription, the other with a magpie on a prunus spray and a gilded inscription, the two leaf shaped reserves with inscriptions, one of the square reserves with fishes the other with shrimps, the shoulder with vases and other objects of the ‘Hundred Antiquities’ (bogu) inside lobed cartouches against a geometric ground with big stylized chrysanthemum heads, the neck with bamboos and rocks.
The poetry which accompanies the composition of rocks with chrysanthemus is the following:
晚菊荒郵夕，秋江作主人。
Wan ju huang you xi, qiujiang zuo zhuren.
Can be translated as:
“Late chrysanthemums bloom in the desolate evening post station; the autumn river becomes my master.”
Signed:
小春書, 西樵
Xiaochun shu xi qiao.
“Written by Xiqiao in spring”, with seal.
These two lines describe a desolate yet expansive scene of an autumn evening by the river.
The poetry which accompanies the composition of a magpie on a prunus spray is the following:
緑壓新枝軟，紅翻麗日去。
Lu ya xinzhi ruan, hong fan lì ri qiu.
Can be translated as:
“Green leaves weigh down the soft new branches, red leaves turn red as the sun sets”.
Signed:
小春日書 , 西樵
Xiaochun ri shu xi qiao.
“Written by Xiqiao in a day of spring”, with seal.
The poetry describes a vivid spring scene, where newly sprouted branches bend gently under the weight of lush green leaves, and the bright sun shines through the branches and leaves, creating a play of light and shadow.
The poetry which accompanies the composition with fishes is the following:
翻藻抛金尺，仗蒲掷玉梭。
Fan zao pao jin chi, zhang pu zhi yu suo.
Can be translated as:
“Turning seaweed, throwing golden rulers; leaning on reeds, throwing jade shuttles”.
Signed:
西樵
“Xiqiao”, with seal
It describes a scene of ancient literati playing games such as pitch pot and shuttle throwing at the water’s edge or in a courtyard. The”golden ruler” refers to a metal arrow used in pitch pot game, while the “jade shuttle” is an object often used as a throwing tool. The entire poem is imbued with a relaxed and elegant atmosphere, which, together with the preceding spring landscape, literary talent and unbridled spirit, constitutes the complete spiritual world of traditional literati.
The poetry which accompanies the composition with shrimps is the following:
渾身養就凌波甲兩, 頰生成破浪鬚。
Hunshen yang jiu ling bo jia, liang jia shengcheng polang xu.
Can be translated as:
“His entire body was covered in flowing armor, and his cheeks were covered in a beard that seemed to break through the waves”.
Signed:
西樵
“Xiqiao”, with seal.
These verses are full of power and dynamism, more often used to describe the story of the carp leaping over the dragon gate, symbolizing the spirit of ascent and the achievement of greatness.
The combination of a magpie (xique) on top (shang) of prunus flowers (meishao) form the blessing rebus “May happiness reach up to your eyebrows” (xi shang meishao), because of the homophony of the first character xi of xique with xi meaning “happiness” and the homophony of meishao with the word meaning “eyebrows”.
The decoration on this vase is distinguished by a very high pictorial quality, evident above all in the two large reserves with compositions of ‘birds and flowers’ (huanniao hua), one of the most appreciated artistic genre in China, especially in painting from already the Song dynasty, thanks to the support of patrons such as the Emperor Huizong (1082-1135), founder of the Hanlin Academy and he himself a skilled painter specialized in the ‘birds and flowers’ theme.
The anonymous artist who executed it probably drew inspiration from a printed source, for example one of the tables in the Shizhuzhai shuhua pu (“Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting”), the first Chinese polychrome woodblock book, published by Hu Zhengyan (1584-1674) and printed between 1619 and 1633 (Ebrey 2010, who discusses the copy in the Cambridge University Library). The bamboo compositions on the neck of the vase here discussed also show similarities with the tables with bamboo in that same printed book.
However, considering the very high pictorial quality that characterizes the compositions of ‘birds and flowers’ on this vase, it cannot be excluded that the source of inspiration could be a painting, such as the masterpiece by Bian Jingzhao (circa 1356-1428) in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, in which the artist skillfully depicted Four magpies on plum branches.
The subject of a bird perched on a branch of blossoming plum was in the repertory of ceramists in Jingdezhen already from the early Ming dynasty, exemplified at its best in the spectacular ‘blue and white’ flask in the Percival David Collection, now in the British Museum, London (R. Scott, in Los Angeles 1989, p. 59, n. 30).
A vase in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (inv. n. 21.2282), presents a similar decoration, differing from the one here discussed for the absence of inscriptions (substituted by ‘birds and flowers’ and crabs compositions) and the more detailed style of the scenes in the larger reserves.
