A massive double gourd vase, the lower bulb with rounded sides swelling outward to the shoulder turning inward to the short midsection, the upper bulb gently rising to a flared trumpet mouth. This unusually large vase is covered in a vibrant delicate rose enamel glaze (Rose du Barry) with the interior and bottom glazed white. On the base an apocryphal horizontally positioned underglaze blue mark of 康熙 Kangxi within concentric circles. Monochrome rose enameled wares are extremely rare and almost never seen.
One of the shapes made for China's literati--wealthy merchants and scholar-officials was the double gourd vase. The double gourd or bottle gourd vase is called huluping in Chinese and calabash in the West (Lagenaria siceraria) and has many meanings in China, including purity, longevity, and fecundity. Dried gourds provided some of the earliest storage vessels and it is not surprising that this form was reproduced in porcelain. The double gourd was the attribute of the Daoist immortal Li Tieguai, the dispenser of magic medicines.
民國 Republic Period (1912-1949)
Height:  17 1/2" (44.5cm)
Provenance: Private Collection, San Diego, CA.
Condition: Excellent, no chips, cracks or restorations.
Please refer to item #MO-659 when inquiring.