373.
A ‘ROBIN’S EGG’ GLAZED BOTTLE VASE, TIANQIUPING
Qing dynasty, mid 18th century
29 cm high
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 4056.
The ‘robin’s egg’ glaze – so called because the resulting mottled effect resembles the appearance of that bird’s egg – is obtained firing at a low temperature the copper oxide opacified with arsenic. As noted by Rose Kerr (R. Kerr, Chinese Ceramics. Porcelain of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), London 1986, p. 88), the ‘robin’s egg’ glaze appears in two different types, one with copper red streaks, the other with turquoise and dark blue veins, the present bottle vase belonging to the last category.
