Important Chinese porcelain vase with polychrome and gilt decoration, mounted in gilt bronze

Important Chinese porcelain vase, Canton or Nanking, with polychrome and gilt decoration, mounted in gilt bronze, 19th century
Height: 78 cm – Width: 44 cm

An elegant Chinese porcelain vase, of the Canton or Nanking type, decorated in rich polychrome enamels with lavish gilt highlights.
The body features a profuse composition depicting a large bird with finely detailed plumage, rendered with great technical mastery and enhanced with golden accents. Surrounding this central motif is a luxuriant array of vegetation filled with flowers, butterflies, and symbolic fruits.

The peony, the dominant flower in the decoration, is in China the emblem of wealth, beauty, and distinction — often called the “queen of flowers.”
The butterflies, shown fluttering among the bouquets, symbolize conjugal happiness and longevity.
One also notices the presence of pomegranates, slightly opened, a direct allusion to fertility and abundance due to their many seeds.
As for the long-tailed birds, they evoke grace and nobility, and in some cases recall the mythical fenghuang, the Chinese phoenix, a symbol of peace and prosperity.

The neck of the vase continues this refined decorative vocabulary, animated by polychrome butterflies and blooming flowers, reinforcing the prosperous and sumptuous character of the piece.

This naturalistic and symbolic décor is beautifully enhanced by a rocaille-style gilt bronze mount, finely pierced and chiseled: foliated scroll handles, a decorated collar, and a base with four curved feet.
This combination illustrates the 19th-century taste for “extreme orientalism” and the art of mounted porcelains, pairing Chinese export ceramics with French bronzes in a spectacular decorative synthesis.

Later mounted as a lamp, this large vase (H. 78 cm, W. 44 cm) stands as a remarkable example of the alliance between the iconographic richness of Chinese porcelain and European ornamental craftsmanship — a testament to the 19th-century collectors’ fascination with grand decorative pieces.