Vase; China, Qing Dynasty 1644-1911.
Porcelain. Pink family.
Damage to the mouth.
Signed on base.
Measures: 10 x 10 cm.
Porcelain vase with globular body, slightly elevated neck and round mouth with thick exvasado lip. The piece stands out for its sober ornamentation which enhances the exceptional nature of the piece. This decoration is based on the presence of several pink peonies. The decoration is part of the Pink Family style, based on the introduction of new enamels, the most famous of which is pink, which gave the style its name. In this case, ruby red is the main decorative motif. Other new colours were also added, such as opaque yellow, white and the now independent black (until then, in order to fix the black glaze, it had to be covered with a glaze of another colour, usually translucent green). Technically, the most important is opaque white, as it could be mixed with other glazes to achieve a wide range of pastel shades, as well as allowing a smooth tonal gradation that made it possible to successfully imitate Western painting. What defines the Rose Family, therefore, is not the predominance of this colour, but this new polychrome. The new style led to the abandonment of the previously predominant Green Family, characterised by the abundance of this colour and the use of more watery glazes.