CHINA, 19th century. Large covered porcelain... Lot 2

CHINA, 19th century. Large covered porcelain jar with Wucai decoration of three horsemen among the rocks, the cloudy background masking a battle scene. This scene probably refers to an episode from the San Guo Zhi Yen Yi, a 14th century historical novel. In the lower part, Buddhist lions move among foliage and flowers. In the upper part a geometrical decoration highlights cartouches decorated with flowers. The lid has an identical geometrical decoration in a diamond shape and a floral decoration. The porcelain has a finely cracked white-beige glaze. The base and unglazed interior has an apocryphal mark in line on the shoulder: "Da Ming Jiajing Nian Zhi" (Made during the Jiajing reign of the Ming) corresponding to 1521-1567. H. 53 cm (23.5 in.) Decoration worn in places, especially on the lid, the iron red on partially erased cover. Two slight scratches in the lower part, slight cooking defects. Provenance: French private collection, Toulouse. Brought back by the grandmother of the current owner, a professor working in China and Indochina in the 1920s. In the family since then. The decoration of this jar is rare and only one copy has been found, formerly in the Grandidier collections, now in the collections of the Musée Guimet under the inventory number G5629. (1) Another jar of similar size and shape and an even closer palette, but patterned with scenes of daily life and officials in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum under Inventory Number C.998&A-1910 (2). These shades of enamel were often used in the 16th century for porcelain decoration for the Japanese market.