Bowl Item Number: 3588/9 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Famille rose porcelain bowl with four scenes painted along the sides; bowl is rounded, and has a flat foot. Bowl opening and foot are trimmed with wide bands. Border along opening is of alternating curvilinear and triangular motifs; dots inside curvilinear designs. Bottom edge has a border of identical structures inside rectangles. Scenes around sides are inside irregularly-shaped rectangles and consist of people in various scenarios, including fighting, flying kites, climbing trees, and holding lanterns. Surface around scenes and in between borders is entirely decorated with floral motifs. Bowl base is concave; red seal stamped in centre.
This work belongs to the group of Chinese porcelains known as "famille rose", and known in China as fencai (粉彩) or ruancai (軟彩 / 软彩), literally meaning “soft colours” or “pale colours,” and later called yangcai (洋彩) or “foreign colours.” This type of ware was first introduced in the late Kangxi period (1662–1722), possibly around 1720, and were originally painted mostly in rose/pink colours. Many of these colourfully enameled wares were made for export, and their production continued into the twentieth century. Marks found on the base of Chinese porcelain commonly display the dynasty and the reign during which the piece was made. However, it is said when it comes to Chinese reign marks, most of them are not from the period they say. Reign marks from earlier dynasties were often added to later wares, not necessarily as fakes or reproductions, but out of respect for these earlier periods. Most marks comprise four or six Chinese characters written vertically. The mark on this vase reads 大清同治年製 (Da Qing Tongzhi Nian Zhi) and refers to “made during the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty” (1861-1875). The first two characters on the right, 大清refer to the “Great Qing” Dynasty, the following two in the middle, 同治 refer to the name of the Emperor/reign, and the last two on the left, 年製, “made for/during.” When stamped, rather than hand-written, the mark of this period is usually from a later period, often from the reign of Guangxu (光緒, 1875–1908).
Purchased by the donors in Vancouver in 1984. Said to be over 100 years old at that time.