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Lot Essay
Kangxi-marked vases of this large size are exceptionally rare. The lush imagery depicted on the current vase is a favourite theme in Chinese painting and the decorative arts known as bainiao chaohuang, 'Hundred birds courting the phoenix'. See the related 'One hundred birds' theme in the work of Ming court painter Bian Wenjin, The Three Friends of Winter and One Hundred Birds, dated 1413, illustrated by R. Barnhart in Possessing the Past, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1996, p. 340, pl. 165.
The theme is also known as bainiao chaowang, 'A hundred birds paying homage to the king', as the phoenix is considered the king of birds, and 'when it flies, the rest of the birds follow', see T.T. Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, 2006, pp. 160-161. The pair of phoenix, probably symbolising the Emperor and Empress, serve as the focal point of the scene. The author further notes that the pairing of the king of birds with the king of flowers, the peony, augurs great blessings and prosperity, and suggests the expression Fugui jixiang, 'May there be wealth, rank and good fortune'.
Another noteworthy point about the present decoration is the stylised peony petals clustered into two groups. A similar peony design is seen on a Shunzhi lidded jar painted with the theme of pheasant and peony, illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 1; where it is stated that this depiction of peony is a signature design on porcelains made between the Shunzhi and Kangxi periods.
The theme is also known as bainiao chaowang, 'A hundred birds paying homage to the king', as the phoenix is considered the king of birds, and 'when it flies, the rest of the birds follow', see T.T. Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, 2006, pp. 160-161. The pair of phoenix, probably symbolising the Emperor and Empress, serve as the focal point of the scene. The author further notes that the pairing of the king of birds with the king of flowers, the peony, augurs great blessings and prosperity, and suggests the expression Fugui jixiang, 'May there be wealth, rank and good fortune'.
Another noteworthy point about the present decoration is the stylised peony petals clustered into two groups. A similar peony design is seen on a Shunzhi lidded jar painted with the theme of pheasant and peony, illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 1; where it is stated that this depiction of peony is a signature design on porcelains made between the Shunzhi and Kangxi periods.