A rare and large puce-enameled 'phoenix and flower' hu-form vase, Seal mark and period of Daoguang | 清道光 胭脂紅彩鳳凰花卉紋大貫耳方壺 《大清道光年製》款

As colloidal gold produces a translucent ruby, puce or purple color, the bold opaque tone of the present vase would have required an admixture of white-lead arsenate. While the range of pink enamels were first produced during the late Kangxi period, this technically challenging color palette was not fully mastered by the imperial workshops until the Qianlong period. Subsequent Qing emperors continued to commission puce-enameled wares such as present Daoguang example, which is of large size and exquisitely enameled. Due to the complexity of achieving a rich, even tone, examples of puce enamel on a plain white ground are rare.