Famille Verte Rouleau Vase with Imperial Reception, Gorer Plate 1911

Plate 109 of the 1911 book Chinese Porcelain and Hard Stones, an original color plate of Chinese porcelain, illustrates a very tall cylindrical famille verte vase painted with a reception at the emperor's pavilion. A continuous scene on the body shows the emperor and empress with their suite approaching a pavilion, with girl musicians, mandarins, eunuchs and the twin gods of union and harmony among pines and clouds. The neck carries Shou, Fu and Lu with children, and the shoulder a border of chih-lung and flowers on seeded green. Gorer and Blacker describe it as Kang-he period and record it in the collection of General Brayton Ives; height 29 1/8 inches (74 cm), diameter 9 5/8 inches (25 cm).

Chinese Porcelain and Hard Stones appeared in 1911 under the imprint of Bernard Quaritch, 11 Grafton Street, New Bond Street, London. Edgar Gorer and J. F. Blacker illustrated two hundred and fifty four pieces across two volumes, every one of them given a full page color plate printed from a photograph. Volume I, from which this sheet comes, runs from Plate 1 to Plate 135. The plates are color collotypes, and the book records that it was produced and printed by the Menpes Printing and Engraving Company of London and Watford.

The plates were printed in color from photographs of the pieces, so the black and green grounds, the iron red and the white of the porcelain are recorded directly rather than drawn by an artist. A plate from this book reads as a record of an object rather than as a decorative picture of one.

Even age toning. A few small foxing spots in the margin. Slight wear at the bottom right corner.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.