A Pair of 19th Century Qing Period Blue and White Porcelain Vases

A pair of late 19th century blue and white porcelain baluster vases, the bodies with foliate grounds and figurative cartouches.

This pair of vases was manufactured for the Western Market as an export product, depicting a Chinese scene of scholarly interest.

Ancient texts indicate that the society in China used to be split into four classes: tradesmen, craftsmen, farmers and landowners and the scholar elite. The latter set an example for the moral education of the country and while craftsmen and farmers produced things, they were seen as morally superior to merchants, who promoted profit and luxury living. Scholars, such as Confucius, were regarded very highly and to this day, scholarly depictions and items from a scholars’ desk remain amongst the most highly sought after Chinese antiques.

Qing Dynasty, Gungxu Period (1875 – 1908)