Extremely rare pair of baluster famille noire verte phoenix bird and chrysanthemum vases, unusually decorated with a pattern of aubergine and yellow phoenix and chrysanthemum against a background of scrolling green tendrils interspersed with a multitude of leaves, all reserved on a black ground covered in a green glaze wash, the shoulders sloping upward to a bulbous mouth, the glaze pooling nicely at the mouthrim and the short foot, the base with a double circle in underglaze blue. 18th/19th C. 11 3/4 in and 12 in high.
Condition: Perfect. No chips, cracks, hairlines or other damages.
Provenance: Manhattan, New York collection acquired in 1984.
These are very rare examples of famille noire verte and of the highest quality. As noted in the Yongzheng example being sold at Christie's New York, September 16, 2010, Lot 1438, "an unusual feature of wares of this rare type is that the famille verte decoration has been reserved on a black ground covered with a wash of transparent green glaze."
It was always difficult to locate famille noire verte vases of this type but with the mass acquisition of Chinese porcelain and its repatriation to China a pair of vases like these is virtually extinct from the US market.
