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| Chinese Flask 1726-1795 This and all related images from: The Victoria & Albert Museum |
In the Eighteenth Century, as trade between Europe and China became more common and visits between the two lands more frequent, a stylistic influence could be noted in the painted porcelain wares of both areas.
Wealthy Chinese families sought European wares to decorate their homes and vice versa. It was only inevitable that makers of decorative arts would wish to incorporate elements of the styles of these “exotic” places into their work.
This Chinese porcelain flask is an excellent example of that Eighteenth Century trend. The shape of the flask can best be described as a “flattened, double-gourd form.” The piece has been painted in over-glaze enamel colors and, then, gilded for added zip. Between bits of scrollwork, the lower part of the gourd boasts an enamel miniature depicting European figures in a landscape. Meanwhile, the upper section is adorned with floral patterns. The flask was made in Jingdezhen, China between 1736 and 1795 (the Qianlong period of the great Qing dynasty). It is inscribed in blue enamel “da qing Qianlong nian zhi” in a double-square mark.
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