Three Kang-he Vases, Black Ground and Yellow Ground, Gorer Plate 1911

An original color plate of 1911 from Gorer and Blacker's book of Chinese ceramic art, this sheet is given over to three vases: an ovoid black ground vase, a long necked black ground bottle and an ovoid yellow ground vase. The ovoid black vase shows a four clawed dragon with a feng-huang and the sacred jewel; the bottle is covered with Po Ku objects such as tings, vases, scrolls and musical instruments. The yellow vase has two four clawed dragons incised in the paste and colored aubergine and green. Gorer and Blacker describe all three as Kang-he period and record them in the collection of G. R. Davies; ovoid vase height 10 inches (26 cm), diameter 4 1/2 inches (11 cm); bottle height 10 1/4 inches (26 cm), diameter 5 1/8 inches (13 cm); yellow vase height 9 inches (23 cm), diameter 4 1/8 inches (11 cm).

The plate comes from Chinese Porcelain and Hard Stones, the two volume work that Edgar Gorer and J. F. Blacker published through Bernard Quaritch of 11 Grafton Street, New Bond Street, London, in 1911. Two hundred and fifty four full page plates were printed in color by a photo mechanical process, each one facing a page of letterpress in English and French that described the piece. The edition was limited to one thousand numbered copies. 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.

Each sheet shows a single piece or group photographed against a plain ground, at a consistent scale and format throughout the book, with the plate number printed in red below. The book's text, which faced each plate, gives the authors' description, the period they assigned and the collection the piece was in.

Even age toning. A few small foxing spots in the margin. All four corners complete.

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