Enameled Lotus Pattern Beauty Pot

Enameled Lotus Pattern Beauty Pot

Chinese Jingdezhen hand-painted porcelain technique, Qing Dynasty official kiln famille rose.

Illustration by Xu Zhijun, inheritor of intangible cultural heritage

The enamel lotus-patterned beauty teapot, when held, feels like a round pearl in the palm of your hand, like a pearl returning from Hepu. Inside, fragrant tea is as soft and warm as jade, no less than a pearl in your palm, as charming as a beauty's cherry lips, with a captivating glance.

Enamel

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.

During the late Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, under the Kangxi Emperor's direction, the technique of cloisonné enamel on copper was successfully transferred to porcelain, creating a new type of polychrome porcelain. Production peaked during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, with production declining significantly after Qianlong. Enamel-painted porcelain was an art form exclusively for the emperor and empress, and its production was strictly controlled by the court. The white porcelain blanks needed for its production were provided by the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Factory. After being transported to the palace, under the emperor's direction, court painters meticulously painted the porcelain at the Enamel Workshop of the Imperial Household Department, and court calligraphers inscribed poems and signatures. Currently, Dayatang enamel-painted porcelain typically requires four firings in the kiln.

Its full and graceful body is painted with gorgeous lotus flowers, ruyi (a type of scepter), and a hundred flowers. The colors of gold, purple, green, and pink complement each other, making it dazzling, enchanting, and captivating.

Enameled Lotus Pattern Beauty Pot