72.
A PAIR OF ‘BLUE AND WHITE’ OVOID JARS AND COVERS
Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, early 18th century
51 cm high each
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. nn. 3589, 3593.
The rounded sides rising to a short cylindrical neck surmounted by a domed cover, the decoration on the body consisting of four larger reserves alternating ‘birds and flowers’ scenes to compositions with flowers in a vase, each separated from the other with a vertical band of coins geometric motifs, the lower zone of the vase and the shoulder with floral compositions enclosed by a lobed frame, two concentric circles to the centre of the base of both.
Jars with this shape had a great success in Europe where they were imported in large quantities from the early eighteenth century. The brightness of the cobalt blue and the liveness of the ‘birds and flowers’ compositions – some times, such as in these vases, inspired by contemporary decoration on Delft ceramic ware – were very appreciated, together with a decorative layout which has familiar features with Baroque taste.
