A RARE COPPER-RED GLAZED MEIPING MARK AND PERIOD OF KANGXI | 清康熙 紅釉梅瓶 《大清康熙年製》款

The Estate of a Connecticut artist, purchased in the 1920s. This artist was a member of prestigious Old Lyme Art Colony.

康涅狄格州藝術家舊藏，購藏於1920年間。此藝術家為 Old Lyme Art Colony 會員。

The use of copper-red glaze at Jingdezhen was revived by the Kangxi Emperor after a decline in usage during the late 15th century. With the effort to reproduce classic Ming jihong ('sacrificial red') porcelains, Qing copper-red pieces quickly outnumbered their Ming counterparts. Nigel Wood in Chinese Glazes, London, 1999, p. 180, notes how the French Jesuit missionary, Pere François D’Entrecolles (1664-1741), wrote letters giving detailed accounts of the copper-red production at Jingdezhen, the sourcing of the copper for the glaze, the recipes and the kiln location of the firing of these wares. D’Entrecolles was aware of the difficulties involved in the making of copper-red wares and his account confirms the high level of technical knowledge of the potters at Jingdezhen.

It is rare to find a copper-red meiping with a Kangxi reign mark. A relatable example (28 cm), formerly in the collection of George Salting (1835-1909), is now preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, museum no. C.362-1910, and a smaller example (19 cm) was sold in these rooms, 20th May 1987. See also a miniature version (8.3 cm) sold at Christie's South Kensington, 16th May 2014, lot 1331.