Qianjiangcai enamelled vase – estimate £5000-10,000 at Dore & Rees.
It includes this large baluster square-form qianjiangcai enamelled vase painted to one side with a figure on a donkey beside verdant mountains and to the reverse with two cranes perched in a pine tree.
The inscription translates as ‘Walking alone on the back of a donkey, the cloud and green mountains approaching nearer, made by Xuělì Chéngmén, in the 9th month, autumn of the year ren-wu’ (1882).
Cheng Men (1833-1908) was a porcelain painter active during the late Qing dynasty. He practised in the qianjiang enamelling style, characterised by its use of a restrained palette in pale washes, giving the look of watercolours.
The 18in (46cm) high vase, inherited by the West Country owner in the 1980s, is estimated at £5000-10,000.
