Chinese Vases, 18th Century

Pair of Chinese Vases from the 18th Century. Mirror-Style Decoration and Qianlong Mark

A small pair of handcrafted blue-and-white Chinese porcelain vases. These small vases form a charming decorative set that likely dates from the 18th century. The decoration, rendered in cobalt blue on white porcelain, is hand-painted and features the so-called "mirror" style: that is, both vases bear the same motifs but arranged symmetrically, as if the decoration on one were reflected in the other. This makes the vases an inseparable pair, combining their beauty with their fantastic state of preservation. The porcelain is very well preserved and shows no hairline cracks or chips, remaining as brilliant and luminous as on the first day.

On the base of both vases, we can see the Qianlong mark, hand-inscribed and located beneath the porcelain glaze. This mark dates to the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the sixth ruler of the Qing Dynasty, who governed the Chinese Empire from 1725 to 1796. Qianlong abdicated in favor of his son, Emperor Jiaqing, so as not to reign longer than his grandfather, Emperor Kangxi. The base of both vases bears the kiln mark-the slightly mottled hue that the porcelain acquires during the artisanal firing process.

The decoration on both pieces displays great freedom of execution, revealing the hand of a talented artist. Painted with cobalt blue pigment on white porcelain, each vase depicts three large birds (probably cranes) flying across a sky adorned with shapes and spots that appear to mimic clouds. The base of the pieces features a series of curved shapes-all identical and topped with perpendicular straight lines-that might evoke a landscape of rolling hills or perhaps ocean waves.

As elegant as they are delicate, these two vases form a set of which any collector of antique Chinese porcelain will be particularly proud.

Dimensions: Width: 70 mm. Height: 152 and 150 mm.