Vintage Porcelain Elegant Lady with Rose, Chinese Republic

Description

As is common in Chinese Republic porcelain figurines, this aristocratic female holds a rose called the “flower of eternal spring or youth,”  an auspicious symbol of longevity and long life. As they bloom almost monthly, they are also called “monthly rose” (yueji), a pun or homophone for “four seasons” (siji) or “year-round” because of the character ji in its name. As an incense holder, it was probably placed on a family home altar along with other Buddhist or Taoist images as an act of offerings and respect to communicate with ancestor spirits and deities, as smoke carries prayers up to deities and deceased ancestors in their heavenly abode. Incense holders range from very simplistic to very artistic and decorative vessels. After the Qing dynasty fell in 1912 and was replaced with the Chinese Republic, porcelain production declined in imperial kilns but was revived in Southern China’s Jiangxi Province which made high-quality finely designed porcelains in private kilns. With few restraints, they produced more colorful pieces with unique Western shapes and styles. These late Qing, Republic Period and even later 20th-century porcelains are now recognized for their top-quality, clear white finishes, striking glazes and clever designs and have become highly collectible, fetching higher prices.

Sources:

Terese Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2006.

“Collector’s Guide to Republic and 20^TH Century Chinese Porcelain,”

Carolyn Ann Greene, Politics and Patronage: A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920, Dissertation, Phoenix, Arizona State University, 2019.