Six-Sided Blue Famille Rose Brush Pot

During the 18th century, Europeans provided an eager market for Chinese export porcelain, especially the colorful and fanciful ware known as “famille rose.” Named for a palette of opaque overglaze enamels that favored roses and pinks, famille rose porcelain ware was crafted with the same technical virtuosity as imperial porcelain but designed for Western tastes.

This famille rose brush pot is potted with six sides, inset feet, and a slightly overhung lip. Set alongside the four treasures of the study - the calligraphy brush, ink, paper, and inkstone - a brush pot such as this was a fixture of every traditional scholars' studio. This enamelware example is decorated with floral scrollwork against a turquoise-blue field, for a cool palette of blues, greens, and purples.