Pair Vintage Plique-à-Jour Enamel Ginger Jars Pink Birds Flowers Lidded

Beautiful matching pair of vintage plique-à-jour enamel covered ginger jars, decorated with birds, flowering branches and large floral blooms against a wonderful translucent rose-pink ground.

These are genuine plique-à-jour pieces, an intricate enamelling technique in which translucent enamel is held within a network of fine metal cells, creating a stained-glass effect when held to the light.

The effect is particularly beautiful on this pair. The bodies and lids allow light to pass through the individual pink enamel cells, illuminating the birds, flowers and foliage in vivid colours.

The decoration includes flowering branches, birds and large peony-like blooms, surrounded by an exceptionally detailed repeating scale-pattern ground. The removable lids are also extensively enamelled and decorated, including floral motifs to their undersides.

The pair appear to be Asian, most likely Chinese, and are believed to date from the mid-20th century. No maker’s marks have been found, so the exact origin and date cannot be confirmed.

They make a particularly attractive matched pair and display beautifully both in ordinary light and when positioned where natural light can illuminate the translucent enamel.

Dimensions

* Height including lid: approximately 9 cm each
* Maximum diameter: approximately 8 cm each
* Sold as a matching pair

Condition

Excellent vintage condition.

I have found no chips, cracks, missing enamel or repairs. Both original-style removable lids are present and fit their respective jars.

Due to the exceptionally delicate nature of plique-à-jour enamel, please examine all photographs carefully as they form an important part of the description.

The back-lit photographs have been included specifically to demonstrate the translucent construction and wonderful stained-glass effect of the enamel.

A beautiful and increasingly difficult-to-find pair of decorative plique-à-jour enamel jars, ideal for a collection of Asian enamel, cloisonné or decorative arts.