Object Record
Images
Additional Images [1]
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2018.23 |
Object Name |
Sconce |
Description |
Chinese for Danish market. Chinese export enamel candle sconce on copper in a cartouche form. The brass candle arm is missing and originally would’ve fit into the mouth of the lion mask at the bottom of the sconce. Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period, mid-18th century, c. 1740s. Executed in a brightly colored "famille rose" palette of pinks, blues, and greens, the candle sconce is decorated with chrysanthemum and peonies, foliage, animals, a double-headed eagle (similar to the Hapsburg eagle) and birds. The inset cartouche design features Lan Caihe, a Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoist pantheon, pictured here under a pine tree with a deer and carrying a basket of fruit. In the 16th century, newly opened Portuguese trade routes brought China’s porcelains decorated specifically for the Western market to Europe. By the early 18th century, Chinese merchants began widely catering to European tastes, fulfilling custom orders with specific shapes and designs, like this wall sconce. Some experts believe the piece was made for the Danish market based on the shape of the sconce, but the iconography—particularly the double-headed eagle—is similar to the Hapsburg eagle found frequently on works made for the Spanish Colonial market. |
Title |
Enameled Sconce |
Date |
c. 1740 |
Medium |
enamel on copper |
Dimensions |
H-27 W-19 inches |
Credit line |
Gift in honor of Ethel May Silcocks Jordan |
Place of Origin |
Asia/China |
Culture |
Chinese |
Subjects |
Candles Eagles Export goods Flowers Lions Myths Porcelain enamel Sconces Trade |