OUTSTANDING, 18th C. antique Chinese Qing Dynasty Qianlong reign period (25 September 1711-7 February 1799) Sancai glazed porcelain dish. With a rounded body of the plate is finely potted with a broad base and shallow rim. Three glaze Sancai with alternating symbols around the cusp of the plate, brown, green and egg yolk yellow in a traditional Sancai glaze coloration. The interior covered in deep egg yolk yellow with subtle five-claws dragon amongst dense Li-Shui waves designs wrapping around the body. The exterior with arrays of green underglaze cranes and ruyi clouds. amber-brown fine line banded on the foot, conforming the cavetto. Dragon is the symbol of the Emperor, the Son of Heaven, eternity, Yang and Yin, male vigor and fecundity and the Li-Shui wave pattern which is known to be the abode of dragons. The immaculate porcelain body is covered with a characteristic silky glaze, with various striations throughout the finish. The color is balanced, elegant and exquisite. The porcelain displays a subtle sheen as the light ricochets across the finely glazed exterior. The clay is very fine, with a brilliant finish that was applied by a meticulous glaze craftsman. The porcelain conformed all required specimen to be highly valued Chinese Guanyao porcelain Imperial wares, with the finest material, the color, the glaze, the painting, and the shape.
The under-base bears a reign mark, a six underglaze amber-brown script characters reign mark, Made in The Years of Qianlong Reign Period of The Great Qing Dynasty (25 September 1711-7 February 1799).
Measurements: Height: 1 1/8" Diameter: 5 1/2" PROVENANCE: From Pennsylvania private collectors, Family Inherited. Original Receipt dated on May 8th, 1892. Bought from H.A. Eberhardt & Son Inc. of 210 Walnut ST, Philadelphia, PA. The Collections of Keller's family presented and offered up to auctions from Lot-179 through Lot-200.LOT NOTES: Sancai is a versatile type of decoration on Chinese pottery using glazes or slips, predominantly in the three colors of brown (or amber), green, and a creamy off-yellow. It is particularly associated with the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, it is commonly referred to as Chinese Qing Sancai. Qing Sancai wares were sometimes referred in China as egg-and-spinach by dealers, for their use of green, yellow, and brown, especially when combined with a streaked effect. The brown may come from the natural color of the fired clay, sometimes coated with a transparent glaze, or there may be a white slip. The brown and green colors came from adding metal oxides to a lead glaze, and in fact yellow and blacks are also found. The yellow came from adding rare and very complicated, and was, therefore, more expensive and used sparingly, often on smaller pieces.