This lidded floor vase is glazed a deep cobalt blue and painted over almost entirely in 24kt gold, scrolling foliage worked across the surface in a manner clearly borrowed from French salon taste rather than any strictly Chinese decorative tradition — export porcelain of this kind was often made with a specific Western market and its aesthetic expectations firmly in mind. The scale alone gives it presence, standing well past thirty centimetres to the lid, this is a piece built to anchor a room rather than sit as an accent.
Cobalt blue grounds finished in gilt have a long history in Chinese export ware, prized for the contrast between the saturated colour and the warmth of the gold, and mid-century workshops continued producing pieces in this register for buyers who wanted something with real visual weight for a hall, a mantel, or either side of a doorway.
Condition notes
Very good vintage condition. Some wear to gilding and surface scuffing appropriate to age and use.
