Two qianjiangcai enameled porcelain vases
Late Qing dynasty
Both enameled in a typical late Qing 'pastel' colored palette and potted in an archaistic 'cong' shape consisting of circular necks and foot rings separated by tall rectangular bodies supporting opposing molded elephant head ring handles; the first by the noted late Qing dynasty ceramicist Cheng Men (1833-1908), two of the four sides displaying motifs of birds and flowers, the remaining sides depicting a riverside landscape reversed by a scholar with attendant, all sides adorned by inscriptions which include a xinsi date (equivalent to 1881), as well as signatures and iron-red seals reading Cheng Men, li weng, xue li and song sheng; the second vessel by an unidentified artist, one side enameled to depict a beauty in a plantain shaded garden reversed by a crane amid pines, the remaining sides covered by a lengthy inscription reversed by isolated stalks of bamboo, dated to the jimao year (equivalent to 1879) bearing a signature of the unidentified artist possibly reading [Jun]shan shi zuo yu changjiang and bearing iron red seals reading possibly wan and jinshan (both drilled and repaired). 
11 3/4in (30cm) high