A pair of Chinese 'Bleu de Hue' vases for the Vietnamese market, marked for King Kai Dinh, 1921-1924

H.: 26,5 cm

Condition: (UV-checked)
- Both with the rim reduced and overpainted, and some superficial wear around the base.
- Otherwise good.

Provenance:
- The collection of Thomas Ulbrich, Studio Tho, Hanoi-Berlin.

The mark on the base reads: Nội phủ đãi tạo - 内府待造 which translates to 'Manufactured (made) for Reception in the Inner Palace'.
King Khải Định (啓定) was the 12th emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty in Vietnam, reigning from 1916 to 1925. He ordered these vases from China for decoration and ceremonial use in his palaces. It is reported that these vases were used for the reception on the occasion of his 40th birthday in 1925. This marked the last Vietnamese royal order from China.

The poem by the Chinese poet Tao Yuanming is titled: 'Read the book of mountain and sea':
汎覧周王傳
流觀山海圖
俯仰終宇宙
不樂復何如