Dayazhai Enamel-Painted Fortune and Prosperity Jar with the Character "Tian"

Enamel-painted "Fortune and Prosperity" Jar

The Dayatang Enamel-Painted "Fortune and Longevity" Jar was jointly created by Xu Zhijun, an inheritor of the Qing Dynasty imperial kiln famille rose porcelain painting technique from Jingdezhen, and Zhang Jian, a master of overglaze enamel and gold-painting techniques, along with several other masters. It employs various techniques including enamel painting, iron-red enamel, and gold-painting, and is fired four times in the kiln. The designs feature auspicious motifs such as "Abundant Fortune," intertwined branches, and concentric knots, each with a meaningful and auspicious meaning, symbolizing longevity and good fortune. The exquisite decoration and elegant colors create a perfect and refined aesthetic.

Dayatang Enamel-Painted Fortune and Prosperity Jar

Bat-shaped auspicious pattern:

Also known as "Fu Rui," it is considered by Confucianism to express auspicious omens from heaven, such as the appearance of colorful clouds, favorable weather, double ears of grain, sweet springs, and the appearance of strange birds and animals.

Treasure flower:

The term "Baoxiang" originates from Buddhism. It is a respectful term used by Buddhist believers to refer to the image of the Buddha, and it represents an ideal flower shape that is pure, dignified, and beautiful.

The term "Baoxianghua" does not refer to a single flower shape. It is a pattern that has undergone artistic refinement, incorporating and refining elements from various flowers such as lotus, peony, and pomegranate.

The lotus flower pattern originated and flourished in the Tang Dynasty, inheriting the Tang Dynasty's aesthetic tendency of valuing fullness and the characteristics of national art and culture. By the Song Dynasty, the lotus flower pattern had changed from its rich and luxurious style to become more regular and simple. The Song Dynasty also saw the emergence of the intertwined lotus flower pattern, which also had a more obvious sense of movement.

vine pattern:

The exterior is painted with enamel-painted intertwined branches, with clear veins and graceful, dynamic foliage. The continuous structure of the branches and leaves symbolizes "endless life".

Love Knot:

The love knot is an ancient and meaningful knot. Because of its two interlocking knots, it is often used as a symbol of love, signifying "eternal union".

Enamel

Besides the intricate and exquisite painting process, the enamel-painted "Fortune and Prosperity" jar requires four firings in the kiln to complete, each with its own risks.

Its formal name is enamel on porcelain, later known as "Guyuexuan," and abroad as "Rose Enamel." Enamel painting originated in the late Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, and was further developed during the Yongzheng period.

Enamelware from the Qing Dynasty was originally intended for the enjoyment of emperors and empresses. Enamel is a special type of artificially fired pigment. Before the sixth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign (1728), it had to be imported from Europe. After the sixth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the Qing Palace workshops were able to refine more than 20 kinds of enamel pigments themselves, which is a product of the peak period of ancient Chinese polychrome porcelain craftsmanship.