In the purely native wares the early Ch’ing famille verte is distinguished by strong and rather emphatic colouring, the energy of the drawing and the breadth of design which recall the late Ming polychromes. The zenith of this style of decoration was reached about 1700, say between 1682 and 1710. This is the period of the magnificent vases with panel designs in brocaded grounds, or with crowded figure subjects, Court scenes, and the like, filling large areas of the surface, such vases as may be seen in the splendid series of the Salting Collection or in the Grandidier Collection in the Louvre. They are probably children of the great renaissance which began under the auspices of Ts’ang Ying-hsüan. Dated examples are extremely rare, and consequently the square vase on Plate [104] assumes unusual importance on account of the cyclical date which occurs in the long inscription, “the 29th day of the 9th moon of the kuei mo year,” which we can hardly doubt is 1703. Incidentally another side of this vase illustrates the celebrated scene of the wine cups started from the “orchid arbour to float down the nine-bend river.”[319]
Another example with a cyclical date (the year hsin mao, and no doubt 1711) is a globular water bottle “of the highest quality and technique, decorated with transparent luminous enamels of great beauty and delicacy,” in the Pierpont Morgan Collection.[320] But in this case the date is attached to a verse in the field of the decoration, and it may belong to the design rather than to the porcelain.
Plate 104.—Three Examples of K’ang Hsi famille verte Porcelain.
Fig. 1.—Square Vase with scene of floating cups on the river; inscription with cyclical date 1703 A.D.; shou characters on the neck. Height 18⅜ inches. Hippisley Collection.
Fig. 2.—Lantern with river scenes. Height 13¾ inches. Dresden Collection.
Fig. 3.—Covered Jar of rouleau shape, peony scrolls in iron red ground, brocade borders. Height 22 inches. Dresden Collection.
Plate 105.—Covered Jar painted in famille verte enamels
With brocade ground and panel with an elephant (the symbol of Great Peace). Lion on cover. K’ang Hsi period (1662–1722). Height 21¼ inches. Dresden Collection.