A finely painted and very rare European-subject Beijing enamel miniature vase, hu blue enamel mark and period of Qianlong

the well wrought copper body of oval section and miniature hu form, exquisitely decorated in vivid colours of the falangcai palette, the two oval panels bordered with feathery scrollwork, each painted with a different European scene of mother and child, divided at the narrower sides with lion masks, all reserved on a lime-green ground with dense scrolling foliage, between lappets and raised gilt borders at the shoulder and above the foot,  the waisted neck with a collar of alternating large and small upright leaves against a dense yellow-ground scroll, the foot encircled with a ruby-ground scroll, the interior turquoise, the base inscribed with a blue enamel four-character mark within a double-square, the rims gilt

Sotheby's New York, 29th November 1993, lot 101. 
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 30th October 2002, lot 205. 

There is general expected wear, surface scratches and expected enamel lines overall. There is some wear to the mouthrim and gilding. There is a small chip to the turquoise enamel on the interior. There is a small area to below the rim which has been overpainted. There is a tiny loss to the enamel by the border of approx 0.2cm, on the lower view of p. 75. Otherwise the piece is generally in good condition overall.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This exquisitely painted miniature hu represents one of the finest examples of painted enamel ware with a metal body produced in the Enamel Workshop within the Zaobanchu (Imperial Palace Workshop) in the Qianlong period. Metal enamel vases painted in the Imperial workshops with scenes of European mother accompanied by infants in rococo-style panels are rare although several related scenes within panels are painted on an enamel melon shaped box, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 208. This theme also appeard concurrently on enamelled glass and porcelain. See a glass brushpot decorated with a European mother and child in panels, from the Ezekiel collection, included in the exhibition The Arts of the Ch'ing Dynasty, T.O.C.S., 1963-1964, vol. 35, no. 251; and a porcelain vase in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Hugh Moss, By Imperial Command, Hong Kong, 1976, pl. 73. Compare also three porcelain vases with related decoration in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the exhibition Qingdai hua falang tezhan, Taipei, 1979, cat.nos. 76, 80 and 71.    

The theme of mother and child appears to have been popular with the Qianlong emperor, and may have been introduced by the French Jesuit artist Jean-Denis Attiret (1702-1768); he in turn would have been influenced by the rococo taste of France under Louis XV, where painters like Boucher, Fragonard and Lancret were held in great esteem. It is interesting to note that during the Qianlong period the 'European mother and child'  was also changed to a 'Chinese mother and child' design, possibly to satisfy Chinese taste. See a painted enamel loop-handled jar decorated with a Chinese mother and child in similar rococo-style panel, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, op. cit., pl. 212; and a brushpot also painted with related scenes, ibid., pl. 222.  

A larger metal-bodied enamel jar from the Hermann von Mandle collection, sold in these rooms, 29th October 2000, lot 3, also depicts similar figure scenes, has a similar scroll border in rose-pink around the foot, and is fitted with gilt-bronze lion-mask handles holding rings, very similar to those painted on the present piece. This feature, as well as the basic hu-shape of the vase and the stiff leaves on the neck are essentially Chinese in style. The harmonious blend of Eastern and Western tastes makes wares such as the present piece aesthetically particularly attractive.