Chinese Porcelain

FINE & RARE CHINESE FAMILLE ROSE "MELON ...

A rare and well-preserved example of 19TH CENTURY from Guangxu Mark and Period (1875-1908), noted for its craftsmanship, material quality, and historical relevance.

An exceptional and highly translucent Chinese porcelain bowl from the Guangxu period, exquisitely decorated in the Famille Rose (Fencai) palette. This piece features the classic ''Gua Die Mian Mian'' motif, a traditional visual pun representing the wish for ''ceaseless generations of descendants.'' The exterior is vibrantly painted with fruiting melon vines and fluttering butterflies. The enamels are of superior quality, showing the characteristic ''bony'' or slightly raised texture of late 19th-century mineral pigments.\n\nThe Butterflies: Masterfully detailed with iron-red, cobalt blue, and manganese violet, finished with fine hand-painting that remains remarkably bright.\n\nThe Melons: Display delicate stippled transitions from pale yellow to deep rose pink.\n\nThe Palette: A sophisticated mix of lime greens, turquoise, and ''shrimp-paste'', all applied with confident, fluid brushwork.\n\nResonates with a clear, sustained, bell-like ring when tapped, confirming total structural integrity and high-fire vitrification. The base features a deeply recessed, glazed centre surrounded by a neatly finished, unglazed foot rim. The exposed porcelain paste is fine-grained and white, showing a natural ''oily'' lustre and a faint orange oxidation line where the glaze meets the body---a hallmark of authentic period firing. Faint ''chatter marks'' from the potter's wheel are visible under close inspection, confirming the piece was hand-thrown. The underside bears a six-character Guangxu Mark and Period (Da Qing Guangxu Nian Zhi) in iron-red Kaishu (standard script). The calligraphy is executed with the confidence of a guild-trained imperial-standard artist, with the pigment having naturally settled into the glaze over the past century. This bowl is a quintessential example of Guangxu Mark and Period porcelain. The extreme translucency and thinness achievable only with late-Qing high-grade kaolin. The presence of microscopic iron ''pinprick'' spots within the glaze, typical of authentic 19th-century production. Natural, soft thinning of the gold accents and microscopic wear to the foot rim consistent with 120+ years of age. Hand-applied enamels that sit ''on'' the glaze rather than the flat, printed appearance found in modern reproductions. Pristine Condition. No chips, hairline cracks, ''star'' cracks, or restorations. A rare survivor of this fragile ''eggshell'' class of porcelain.

— Details

Reference

SA1207635

Origin

Guangxu Mark and Period (1875-1908)

Period

19TH CENTURY

Dimensions

H 7cm

Weight

141 g

Rarity

Rare

Provenance

The G S. May Esquire Private Collection, London. Label Number 621

Condition

Excellent — see description