A ‘QIANJIANG CAI’ ENAMELED ‘SEVEN MONKEYS’ PLAQUE, STUDIO OF PAN TAOYU (1887-1926)China, Jingdezhen. The rectangular plaque painted in green and blue tones with seven monkeys frolicking, each with aical and mischievous expression, a pair with a young seated below a tree playing the flute and pointing upwards, a young monkey playing with a lamp at the tree top, and two monkeys perched on a branch holding a stick trying to reach out to another monkey hanging on a tendril.Inscriptions: Center left, inscribed ‘Guanyin fenghou’ (a wish for a speedy promotion), one seal of the artist, ‘Gu huan’ (ancient joy).Provenance: From the private collection of a doctor, Connecticut, USA.Condition: Very good condition with some old wear and little rubbing. The frame with few small nicks and scratches.Weight: 3,340 gDimensions: Image size 40.8 x 25.3 cm, Size incl. mounting 47.8 x 32.3 cmIn a hardwood frame with metal mount, both from the period. (2)Gu huan (ancient joy) is the studio name that belongs to Pan Taoyu (1887-1926), a porcelain master from Jingdezhen. The emergence of the market for fine decorative art porcelains was an important development and brought a fresh and vibrant energy to porcelain making in China during the Republic period. Pan Taoyu was one of the most important pioneers and masters of porcelain painters in the early 20th century. With his superb ability to depict delicate fine shadings, Pan achieved excellence in painting a wide range of objects on porcelain, including figures, landscapes, and bird-and-flowers motifs. Among Pan Taoyu’s students are Wang Yeting, Liu Yucen and Cheng Yiting, all important members of the celebrated ‘Eight Friends of Zhushan’ group who were among the best fencai masters of the Republic period. Pan Taoyu died young, and very few of his personal works survived.Qianjiang is a term used to describe a type of over-glaze enameled ware that was very popular during the Late Qing/Early Republican Period. The term Qianjiang cai (enamels) or Qianjiang porcelain was only coined in the 1950s. Prior to that, annals ormentaries in the late Qing and Republican periods did not classify it as a new distinctive type of over-glaze enamel decorative technique on porcelain. The term was initially used to describe a distinct style of landscape painting by the Yuan master Huang Gongwang. It is typified by the use of a particular color scheme: varying ink tones for outlines and reddish-brown for other aspects such as foliage, flowing water, mountain shades etc. The term was subsequently used to describe a porcelain painting style that used similar techniques but with additional colors such as aquamarine, moss green, pale blue, red and light pink.The relation between qianjiang and fencai painting has caused quite a bit of confusion. In terms of the decorating medium, qianjiang utilizes fencai enamels. The main difference is actually the source