Chinese Export Porcelain Blue & White Sauce Boat Garden Terrace Pattern ca 1760

  

An antique mid 18th century Chinese export porcelain gadrooned rim unfooted sauce boat that has been hand painted in underglaze cobalt blue and white. The decoration is a wrap around garden terrace scene with table, chairs and trellis fence. The scene which extends around the front of the sauce boat has a large porcelain vase, with flowers in it, sat on the end of the terrace. Beyond the terrace is a river scene with an island and a boat.

The inside is decorated in under-glaze cobalt blue narrow floral border and floral spray to the base. There is a relatively deep outer diaper and floral scroll border with cash or Chinese coin motifs. The sauce boat is of a simple press moulded bulbous shape with a gadrooned rim, based upon the salt glaze styles of the day.

It has a ribbed large plain loop handle. (Ref 1) It dates to the mid eighteenth century, circa 1760, during the reign of the Emperor Qianlong.

(1736-95) in the Qing dynasty. The sauce boat is 8 1/2 inches (21.6 cm) long, approximately 3 5/8 inches (9.6 cm) wide, and 3 3/4 inches (9.4 cm) high, 3 5/16 inches (8.4 cm) to the handle top. It weighs 338 grammes unpacked. It is in good antique condition, has some fritting and roughness to the glaze on the rim (glaze rubs and flakes) and the handle. There is a filled and disguised hole to the front left of the bowl.

This beautiful antique sauce boat displays well. It is a very attractive item to add to a collection of antique blue and white hand painted Chinese 18th century export porcelain. British porcelain sauce boats of the eighteenth century by Nicholas Panes - a similar shaped boat - see fig. 29 p 25 & fig129 p 83.