151.
A ‘FAMILLE VERTE’ VASE WITH GILT METAL MOUNT
the vase Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, early 18th century; the mount French, 18th century
37 cm high
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 4041.
One of the two largest lobed reserves on the body of this vase – standing out of a red ground with reserved floral scrolls – depicts an old man seated on a carpet; near him some books and a group of scrolls. He is an intellectual, possibly the celebrated poet Li Bai (701-762) who is often represented together with a vase containing wine. The other analogous reserve with a lady surrounded in the same way by books, scrolls and a zither qin.
In the space between these two larger reserves, the body also presents two fan-shaped cartouches with compositions of bamboo and rocks, both above a reserve shaped as a scroll with an inscription.
One of the poetry is the following:
酒醉琴为枕，诗狂石作笺。
Jiu zui qín wei zhěn, siī kuang shi zuo jian.
Can be translated as:
“When drunk, I use my zither as a pillow; when in a frenzy of poetry, I use stones as paper.”
Signed:
西樵
Xiqiao, with red seal.
The other poetry is the following:
讀書破萬卷，夢筆吐奇花。
Dushu po wan juan, meng bi tu qí hua.
Can be translated as:
“Reading ten thousand books, one’s pen blossoms with wondrous beauty.”
Signed:
西樵
Xiqiao, with red seal.
The two scenes with figures, together with the compositions with bamboo – an emblem of the cultured man – and the two poetries, symbolize in fact some of the main accomplishments of the literati: music, painting, calligraphy and poetry.
The upper section of the vase, a part of the neck and the flared rim, has been cut: an intact vase with this shape is in the Musée national des Arts asiatiques-Guimet, Grandidier collection (inv. n. G 4365).
