Featured Chinese Vase Info Please

Hi-
I acquired this large pottery vase with hand painted lotus decoration. Believe it's Chinese with that (modern?) Qianlong mark. It's about 14" tall. The decoration is nicely done, sort of Royal Worcester-style, but in other ways it's rather crude and clunky. Can anyone tell me what I have here? Thanks in advance.

 

Looks modern to me too, but decorative.

 

I'm going to venture modern also....and u don't want me to describe the 2 splayed creatures on both sides as it would be embarrassing ..........

 

I've had some thoughts on them myself. Sure wish I knew more though. Some of the lotus decoration is really lovely. And then there's those salamanders? I'll call them salamanders. Anybody?

 

Pretty, even if modern. Sure, salamanders. Why not?

 

I’m by no means an expert but my take would be definitely Chinese due to mark and lotus flower (important in Chinese culture) and I think the creatures may be rats which is one of the 12 Chinese animals and it looks like the gold swirl could be the tail maybe? Not sure if that helps at all.

 

The Qianlong mark has been copied ever since the Qianlong period, either as an honorific mark, or to fake. In this case I think it is an honorific mark.
So in honour of a great emperor and patron of the arts, not intended to deceive.

The lotus flower is a symbol of purity and the quest for enlightenment in both Hinduism and Buddhism. You're right, you see them a lot in Chinese art, other Asian art too.

The creatures are geckos, called forest dragons by the Chinese. So in Chinese terms they belong to the dragon family.

Whether the vase was made in Jingdezhen or in a Thai factory that copies Chinese porcelain, I don't know.

 

From what I can tell, any critter that eats bugs is good luck in China. That would include geckoes.

 

Any critter that eats bugs is good luck *anywhere* in my book! Unfortunately geckos would be fighting way out of their weight class here in Georgia.

 

Down there you have B-29 size mosquitos among other problems. They don't call 'em the state bird of Florida for no reason. (they spread out a bit to get more prey.)