Two Large Covered Jars

Painted with a deep and rich pink ground (famille rose), this jar and its pair, 1915.8.58, feature polychrome chrysanthe­mums and vignettes in reserve. The main panels on both sides of each jar depict an elderly scholar reading a book to a young boy. Flowers, birds, and domestic fowl appear in fan- and ribbon-shaped panels. These decorative motifs derive from pattern books commonly used in eighteenth-century Chinese porcelain factories. Famille rose appeared in the 1730s as a result of the importa­tion from Europe of purple of Cassius (a pigment obtained from gold chloride).

Source: Vignon, Charlotte. The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook. New York: The Frick Collection/Scala, 2015.