Flambé was a Qing innovation which came about through the Yongzheng emperors interest in various aspects of antiquity. In 1727 the Jingdezhen potters were commissioned by the court in Beijing to re-create the famous classical Jun wares of the Song period.
The potters at the official workshops were challenged to experiment with new techniques and styles. They came up with shapes, clearly influenced by archaic bronze vessels and a new ware on a porcelain body using three distinctly different glazes, one for the blue inside, one for the red outside and a third for the brownish green applied within the foot-rims. The Iridescent blue, purple, or brown splashes and streaks characteristic of this glaze are described as yao bian, or “transmutation glaze” and resulting from transmutation of colloidal copper, iron, or other metallic materials into suffusions breaking up the glaze surface. Reference: Gotheborg
Below are some examples, information and price guides to Flambé antiques with butterflies in their design including an ovoid vase painted by Kashosai Ujichika and a Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre trumpet vase.
A TALL OVOID PORCELAIN VASE Painted by Kashosai Ujichika for the Hyochien workshop, Meiji era (1868-1912), dated 1881 Decorated in enamels and gilt with an all-over design of sparrows and different species of butterflies flying among seasonal flowers including cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums, peonies and pinks, the neck encircled with a thick flambé reddish-brown glaze trickling down; signed on the side along the bottom Kashosai Ujichika with a seal and signed on the base Dai nisenrokujukyu-go, Meiji juyonen sangatsu, Nihon Tokyo Hyochien sei (No.2069, March 1881, made by Hyochien, Tokyo, Japan) beneath a fan-shaped cartouche. 36.5cm (14 3/8in) high.
Sold for £ 1,750 inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2018
A FAMILLE ROSE COPPER-RED-GROUND ‘BUTTERFLY’ VASE, MEIPING 18TH-19TH CENTURY The vase is covered in a deep red glaze with flambé tones to the base and is decorated to one side in famille rose with an enamelled butterfly.
Sold for GBP 12,500 at Christies in 2017
A Moorcroft Flambe Butterfly vase, circa 2018, elongated baluster form, 41.5cm high
Sold for £380 at Kingham & Orme in 2019
A WEDGWOOD FAIRYLAND FLAME LUSTRE TRUMPET VASE 1920s decorated with ‘Butterfly Women’, printed Portland vase WEDGWOOD MADE IN ENGLAND mark in gilding, pattern Z5360 painted in green, incised shape number 2810. height 8 in. 20.3 cm
Sold for 13,750 USD at Sotheby’s in 2010