An Elegant 19th Century Blue and White Baluster Jar

Some collectors tend to be a bit haughty when it comes to 19th century blue and white wares, as it is generally recognized that these blue and white pieces tend to fall off in quality as we get late into this period. As afficionados of Transitional Period through Qianlong Period wares ourselves, it’s hard to disagree with the general premise of this thinking, but there are still many fine 19th century pieces. And this is a genuinely nice example with good presence and well done for its genre. The quality here is evident in certain subtle but esoteric details such as the fine control of the glaze at the footrim and mouth of the vase, which we have intentionally captured in our photographs.

Size and condition: 11 inches tall, 7 wide inches at shoulder, some iron spot pin pricks typical of these wares. Upon closer examination as we were photographing this piece, we are realizing now that it's possible the lid here is not original to this piece. We are not positive. But we have always had it together with this jar, and it works quite well decoratively speaking.