JIAJING (1522-1566)

Flattened ewers with peach-shaped panels became popular in the Jiajing reign. Such ewers were made either with a rather wide neck and square sectioned spout, after the Yongle style, or in more elongated form with high foot and long spout as in the current example. The latter are often decorated in the style of overglaze enamels and gold known as by the Japanese name kinrande, meaning 'gold brocade', as they have been particularly appreciated in Japan. Although the details of decoration differ, the peach-shaped panel of these ewers is usually covered with iron red enamel and then gilded designs are applied.

Ewers of this type are to be found in several museum collections. One in the Shanghai Museum is illustrated in Sekai Toji Zenshu, vol. 1, fig. 133. Another in the Matsuoka Museum of Art,Tokyo is illustrated in Inaugural Exhibition, Selected Masterpieces of the Matsuoka Museum of Art, pp. 80-1, pls. 75-6. Examples in the Baur Collection, which are particularly close to the decoration on the current ewer, are illustrated by J. Ayers in The Baur Collection Geneva-Chinese Ceramics, vol. II, 1969, nos. A177 and A178, while Ayers and Krahl illustrate an example in the Topkapi Saray in Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, vol. II, no. 1649.

An example was sold in these rooms in December 1994, lot 199.