An imperial Chinese famille verte cinquefoil jardinière, Kangxi mark and of the period

L.: 36,5 cm - H.: 18,5 cm

Provenance:  A Belgian private collection.

Condition: (UV-checked)
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- The upper rim with a superficial ca. 15 mm chip.
- A reglued superficial chip to the lower section and two further small superficial chips.
- Two feet each with a superficial chip.
- In the unglazed base, two tight tension lines visible from the side towards the central hole.
- Negligible superficial wear and minor baking flaws throughout, but overall in good condition.

Only a small number of jardinières bearing Kangxi marks are known, mostly in famille verte and doucai palettes. The present piece is striking for its delicately painted motif of birds and flowering trees in the famille verte palette and belongs to a distinct group of sturdily potted Kangxi mark and period jardinières. Peter Y.K. Lam, in ‘Lang Tingji and the Porcelain of the Late Kangxi Period’, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 68, 2003-2004, p. 44, suggests that these jardinières were produced in the latter years of the Kangxi reign, possibly commissioned for the Emperor’s 70th birthday, which would have occurred in 1723. A related design from the Qing Court Collection, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Porcelain in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, vol. 38, Hong Kong, 1999, cat. no. 95.

Ref.:
- Christie's, Hong Kong, May 30, 2012, lot 4101, for a related quatrefoil example with ruyi head-shaped feet. (link) (sold: HKD 1.220.000)
- Sotheby's, Hong Kong, June 2015, lot 683, for a slightly larger octagonal example. (link) (sold: HKD 2.360.000)
- Sotheby's, New York, September 2012, lot 626, for a large octagonal example. (link) (sold: USD 410.500)