"18th Century Chinese Porcelain Vase Lid. Kangxi Reign."
Lid in Chinese famille rose porcelain decorated with European coats of arms and fabulous animals. Exported from China by India Company. The dominant glazes are a deep blue, a pale green, a dark green and an iron red, the details are golden. There is a discreet touch of pink enamel positioned between the crown and the hilt. The entwined hands are in white enamel. Finally, the remaining tails of the side phoenixes, which have now disappeared, are enamelled in black discreetly decorated with green details. The decorations are in high relief. On the front and back is represented a coat of arms composed of a crown crowned with a heart and 2 joined hands, all flanked by a lion with the head of a man and a quadruped with the head of a bird. On the sides the broken animals are lost, but there are bird's feet and a tail that seems to be that of a peacock (phoenix). Finally on the fretel of the lid is represented what seems to me to be a unicorn with its 2 erect ears and its frontal horn. I haven't researched this coat of arms, but it should be easy for a specialist. It is the lid of an exceptional vase which must have been well over 1 meter in height, which would make it one of the largest, if not the largest known. Certainly 18th century but very early, This color palette recalls the reign of Kanghi, the discreet presence of pink is not incompatible with this dating and the fact that very little pink enamel is used betrays the fact that pink is in test phase. It is likely that it was an order made by a Latin country, Spain, Portugal or Mexico? 325x250 mm weight: 6kg The lid is solid and in good condition, the relief patterns are very mutilated as can be seen in the photos.