Chinese « Past Imperfect, The Art of Inventive Repair

Posts Tagged ‘Chinese’

Chinese “mille-fleur” plate, c.1865

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

I purchased this 7-3/4″ dessert plate about 20 years ago at a now, sadly departed antique china shop on Greenwich Avenue in NYC. There is nothing extraordinary about this piece, except that it reminded me of my parents collection of Chinese export porcelain, filling a wood hutch and corner cabinet in our dining room.

Beautifully detailed mille-fleur (“thousand flower”) design, rendered in the famille rose pallette, incorporates blossoming peonies, chrysanthemums, lotus flowers, morning glories, hibiscus, roses, daisies and lilies.

The lush border is filled with a variety of birds and butterflies.

This plate was cherished, even after it became broken and was repaired with five metal staples on the back.

These cracks are tightly held in place with staples attached well over 100 years ago.

Tags:Chinese, porcelain, staples/rivets
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Chinese Yixing cream jug, c.1790

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Simple yet elegant Chinese barrel form jug dates from the late 1700’s, stands 3-1/4″ high.

The broken applied handle is held back in place with engraved silver cuff repairs.

A silver band with decorated scalloped edge is clipped on to mask the damaged rim.

Wire, rather than rivets, was used to secure the broken handle to the jug

There is a maker’s mark on the bottom. Apologies if I have not shown it right side up.

Tags:Chinese, pottery, silver, Yixing
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Globular “Mandarin” teapot with double repairs, c.1750

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Chinese export porcelain teapot, from the Qianlong period (1736-1795), has a Mandarin design painted in the famille rose color palette. Teapot measures 7-3/4″ long by 4-3/4″ high.

The same nicely detailed hand painted decoration in polychrome enamels is found on both sides of the teapot.

Aside from a few nibbles on the end, the original porcelain spout has escaped major damage.

Teapot has a double repair, as both the lid and handle have been replaced with hollow tin, gessoed and painted to match the body. These repairs seem to have been done in the early 1900’s and the enamel color, once matching the white porcelain color, has darkened over the years.

Most of the once white enamel which covered the replacement lid has worn away, revealing bare metal.

This Mandarin teapot maintains its original handle and lid.

Photo courtesy of EastWest Gallery

Tags:Chinese, metal handle, metal lid, porcelain, Qianlong
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Reticulated Nanking chestnut basket, c.1820

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

A Chinese export porcelain chestnut basket, measuring 6-3/4″ long and 2-1/2″ high, and decorated with a classic cobalt blue Nanking design.

Baskets such as these with pierced sides were used for fruit, so air could better circulate around the contents. They also had molded porcelain handles, gilded to look like they were made of metal.

How ironic that when the original porcelain “metal” handles broke off, they were replace with actual metal handles.

Metal staples and bolts were also used to help put this piece back together.

This basket in perfect condition, showing original gilt porcelain handles.

Photo courtesy of WorthPoint

Tags:blue & white, Chinese, metal handle, porcelain, staples/rivets
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Triple repair famille rose teapot, c.1770

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

I love a piece with more than one repair and this great example delivers three times over! A much loved and repaired Chinese porcelain globular teapot from the late eighteenth century has survived over 240 years, more or less intact.

A detail of the floral decoration, painted in polychrome enamels.

Teapot measure 9″ long by 6″ high and both sides are decorated with the same pattern, more or less.

A simple yet graceful bronze metal handle replaces the original.

A silver spout replaces the long gone spout, similar to the original in size and shape.

Even the lid, with a replaced tin inner flange, is from another piece altogether. I wouldn’t be surprised if each of these repairs occurred separately during the life of the teapot.

An armorial teapot with similar shape to mine reveals what the original handle & spout might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Richard Gould Antiques

Tags:Chinese, globular, metal handle, metal spout, porcelain
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Chinese armorial sauce boat, c.1780

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

This Chinese porcelain sauce boat was made for export to the American market and has a distinctive Fitzhugh pattern outer rim border, and measures 7.5 inches wide, 2.75 inches high.

It bears an armorial polychrome enamel eagle/dragon, custom ordered by a family of wealth.

The replaced gilt metal handle is beautifully woven with two different colors of rattan.

A similar sauce boat shown with original handle and hard to find matching undertray

Photo courtesy of Starr Antiques

Tags:blue & white, Chinese, Fitzhugh, metal handle, porcelain
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Large Chinese Qianlong mug, c.1760

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

This large Chinese porcelain mug from the Qianlong (pronounced SHEEN-LOONG) period is from the mid-1700’s and is decorated in the Mandarin style with polychrome enamels.

Mug measures 5-3/4″ high and has a finely painted courtyard scene, wrapping around three sides.

I love when there are multiple repairs on one object and this mug boasts three different types of inventive repair, including an incised bronze collar to mask chips along the rim.

A wicker wrapped bronze replacement handle stands in for the long lost original porcelain handle. Just below the brass collar are metal staples which stabilize a vertical crack.

The original handle was simply shaped, much like the one pictured below.

Photo courtesy of Guest & Gray

Tags:bronze, Chinese, Mandarin, metal handle, Qianlong, rattan, staples/rivets
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Chinese Imari pattern teapot, c.1750

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

A Chinese porcelain globular form teapot with Japanese influenced Imari decoration, stands 4″ high. The bullet shape was inspired by European silver of the same period.

When the original porcelain handle broke off, the teapot was taken to a china mender and fitted with a bronze handle replacement. Finely woven rattan embellishes the metal handle as well as provides protection from the heat of a pot full of hot tea.

A silver rim was added to mask chips along the lid and a silver “safety” chain keeps the lid and the teapot together.

This teapot with similar form and decoration still sports its original handle.

Photo courtesy of Moorabool Antiques

Tags:bronze, Chinese, globular, Imari, metal handle, rattan, silver
Posted in teapot | 2 Comments »

Baluster cruet jug, c.1710

Monday, March 15th, 2010

A unusual Chinese porcelain baluster form cruet jug with beak spout, stands 5-1/2″ high. It is decorated in the Chinese Imari pattern, using cobalt blue and iron red enamel washes and gilt highlights.