{"product_id":"hand-painted-fish-lidded-jar-late-20th-century-chinese-export-whimsy","title":"Hand-Painted Fish Lidded Jar, Late 20th Century Chinese Export Whimsy","description":"\u003ch2\u003eThe Piece\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA fish of enormous self-confidence: pursed lavender lips, wide yellow-ringed eyes, a coral-red face fading into a body of scales brushed in butter yellow, coral, and cobalt, all outlined by hand in black. The dorsal fin lifts off — it's the lid — revealing a small stash compartment where a fish's thoughts would otherwise be. Molded in relief and painted entirely by hand, no two brush strokes repeating, he is equal parts jar, sculpture, and mood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe base carries a simple \"Made in China\" ink stamp and an unglazed foot ring, placing him among the hand-decorated export giftware of the late twentieth century — pieces painted at speed by anonymous decorators, which is exactly where the loose, lively brushwork gets its charm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistory\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy the 1980s and '90s, Chinese potteries had revived an old tradition on modern terms: hand-painted figural ceramics made for Western homes, echoing the whimsical animal wares that had traveled the export routes for centuries. Unlike printed or decaled production, pieces like this one were still brushed by hand — scales, outlines, and that unforgettable face each applied by a decorator who had painted a thousand fish and given every one a slightly different expression.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLidded animal boxes have an even longer pedigree, from Chinese export porcelain tureens shaped as carp and ducks in the eighteenth century to the majolica menageries of Victorian Europe. This fellow is a late, cheerful descendant of that line — made for a gift-shop shelf, saved by his personality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eAttribute\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eDetail\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePeriod\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ec. 1980s\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOrigin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eChina; stamped \"Made in China\" to base\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaker\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eUnrecorded export pottery; hand-painted decoration\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaterial\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMolded ceramic, hand-painted overglaze decoration\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStyle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFigural export giftware \/ coastal whimsy\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDimensions\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTo be confirmed\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCondition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eVery good vintage condition. Light shelf wear to the unglazed foot ring; paint and glaze strong throughout. Lid fits securely. Condition Guaranteed.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy It Belongs In Your Home\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery room Jessica designs has one object whose only job is delight, and this fish applies for the position. He holds rings on a dresser, paperclips on a desk, or nothing at all on a bookshelf, where his expression does the work of a houseplant. The palette — coral, butter, cobalt, sage — picks up nearly any collected room, and the hidden compartment makes him the best kind of gift: the one that makes the recipient laugh, then keep him forever.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viridian Eclection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47817269346409,"sku":null,"price":89.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0651\/0093\/9369\/files\/DSC01425.jpg?v=1784577031","url":"https:\/\/viridianeclection.com\/products\/hand-painted-fish-lidded-jar-late-20th-century-chinese-export-whimsy","provider":"Viridian Eclection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}