Description
Description: Chinese porcelain monochrome blue Cong shaped vase, with elephant head handles, Guangxu mark and period. This vase has a thick, rich purplish-blue glaze, known as Mohammedan blue. This is the most precious type of blue, which was imported from Persia, hence the name. The vase is of Cong shape, a form of objects that originates since the Neolithic period in China, especially seen on jade objects. The reason for this shape is not known for sure, but there is a theory that it could represent the Universe: the Earth is the square part, and the two circular sections the sky over and below it. Four different Shang bronzes are represented on the sides of the vase, each one with its name written in gilded gold. The four inscriptions are “zhou zi sun you” (zhou zi sun you vessel) 周子孙卣, “Zhou wen wang ding” (zhou dynasty king Ding vessel) 周文王鼎, “Han wang zhang zi jiao zun” (Han Dynasty King zi jiao zun vessel) 汉王长子铰尊, and “Meng jiang Zun” (Meng jiang zun Vessel) 孟姜尊. Very interesting are also the enamels of such decoration, imitating the bronze surface. Plain monochrome blue Cong vases of the Guangxu period are sometimes offered at the major auction houses, but this is the only one that we have ever seen that is bearing this decoration and this particular type of enamels, not seen by us elsewhere. We like to see this vase as a resume of 3500 years span of China’s history, from Shang to Guangxu, from the earlier times to the end of Imperial China.
Dating: Guangxu period.
Size: 31.5 cm high
Provenance: Carlo Cottarelli collection. About this collection, see the ceramic snuff bottle C2.
References: In the last three pictures, examples of plain monochrome blue Cong vases sold by each of the three big auction houses.
Notes: One of the pictures is the inside view of the vase, showing the slab construction of this type of vases.
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