製堂和中亥辛熙康 Kangxi period (1672), magnificent, certified. Chinese porcelain vase with battle scene; 康熙辛亥中和堂製 left to right; 製堂和中亥辛熙康 right to left; Kangxi (period) and Xinhai (10th year of Kangxi) Zhonghetang Kiln. Signed with eight characters, large Chinese porcelain vase with battle scene, with 4 red decorative handles in the shape of dragons. Height: 18 inches = 45.72 cm; Weight: 18.6 lb. = 8.436 kg = 8 kg 436 g; There is a connection or construction line inside the vase, which looks like a belt or equator (last 3 photos). Probably, the vase was made from 2 parts; lower and upper. Condition: some normal usage and wear, pertinent to the age, tiny craquelures, which confirm the age. No cracks or other flaws. There are many different opinions on whether the porcelains made in the Zhonghetang mark in the early Kangxi period belong to the official kiln. I think the reasons, why I support that the porcelains made in the Zhonghetang mark are official kilns are mainly based on the following points: Zhonghetang was the palace where Kangxi lived in the Summer Palace. Since it was not allowed to write the year mark in the early Kangxi period, the hall name mark was widely used. The most common hall name marks in the official kilns are "Kangxi Xinhai Zhonghetang", 10th year of Kangxi; "Kangxi Renzi Zhonghetang", the 11th year of Kangxi; "Kangxi Guichou Zhonghetang", 12th year of Kangxi; "Zhonghetang", etc. According to the Chinese zodiac, they are the 10th year of Kangxi, the 11th year of Kangxi, and the 12th year of Kangxi. The Kangxi emperor, who ruled China from 1662 to 1722, was a connoisseur of the arts who took a particular interest in ceramics. In the 1680's, he ordered the reactivation of the imperial porcelain factory at Jingdezhen; by the end of his reign there were more than three thousand workshops producing wares for the imperial court as well as for China's thriving domestic and export markets. Porcelain for the Emperor showcases the extraordinary technical and aesthetic achievements of the Kangxi-era potters. The works on view take a dazzling array of forms: cylindrical, square, hexagonal, gourd-shaped, trumpet-mouthed. Some have lids with fanciful knobs in the shape of lions. The pieces are decorated with intricate pictorial motifs inspired by nature, literature, and mythology in a brilliant palette of glazes and enamel colors. Marking the first time in several decades that a large selection of the Museum's holdings of Kangxi porcelain is on view, Porcelain for the Emperor is installed in an appropriately grand setting—the seventeenth-century Reception Hall from the palace of Duke Zhao of Beijing. - Provenance: this item comes from the private collection of Lou A. and Barbara B. Pritchett from Philippines. Lou Pritchett was the ex-Vice President of Procter and Gamble. Lou Pritchett rose through the ranks at Procter & Gamble and was instrumental in the creation of the partnership between Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart. Pritchett was instrumental in bringing Proctor & Gamble to the Philippines during his time there. Now retired, Lou is a sought-after public speaker and author of Stop Paddling & Start Rocking the Boat.