Pair of hatters; Qianjiang, c. 1900.

Pair of hatters; Qianjiang, c. 1900.
Enameled and partially gilded porcelain.
It has faults in the gilding.
Measurements: 26,5 x 12 x 12 cm (x2).
Pair of hatboxes made in enameled porcelain and partially gilded. The pieces present the same design starring a scene known as Qiling Delivering sons. It is a legendary scene inspired by the birth of Confucius, representing the arrival of a baby to his parents, inspired by a dream of Confucius' mother. Despite the delicate ornamentation and the technical quality of the ornamentation of the pieces, they have a functional purpose, as they were originally used as a support for hats.
Qianjiang literally means "light amber" and is a style of literati painting on paper from the Yuan dynasty in which landscapes are outlined with ink and complemented with pale amber brushstrokes to designate the illuminated areas of the landscape. Qianjiang glazes were applied directly onto the white glazed porcelain surface, giving the decoration the appearance of a watercolor on silk or paper.