AN UNUSUAL SMALL CLOISONNE ENAMEL ARCHAISTIC VASE, GU MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

of circular section, the spherical body surmounted by a trumpet neck with short vertical lip, all on a bell-shaped base with stepped foot, four vertical rows of angular fret flanges running up the sides of the vase, the rim and foot carved with a floral scroll border, the vase decorated with colorful enamels on a turquoise ground, the body with a pair of taotie masks, the neck and base each with four blade lappets centered by the flanges, divided at lip and foot by floret-centered scrollwork, the interior of the mouth with lotus scrolls, the underside of the foot cast with the four-character mark within a double square

Acquired in New York, December 2000.

There are a few scattered minor dings to the extremities of the metal, a slight dent to edge of the foot, and scattered pits and fill to enamels, typical of medium. There are a few small shallow losses to enamels around join of foot and body but otherwise the vase is in very 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."

Archaistic cloisonné gu-form vases of circular section are more unusual than gu vases of square section based on the fangzun form.  The scale of the present piece, as well as the degree of finish, with the carved foot and lip, are also unusual.  It is possible that the present vase was originally part of an incense set, comprising the present vase, a censer and a box for incense, as the vase seems too small to have been part of an altar garniture, a typical use of archaistic cloisonné vases during the Qianlong period.  Alternatively, the present vase may have simply been an elegant accoutrement for the studio, its intimate scale suitable for a single blossom.

A flanged archaistic gu vase, attributed to the 15th century, but probably 17th /18th century, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Through the Prism of the Past: Antiquarian Trends in Chinese Art of the 16th to 18th Century, Taipei, 2003, no. III-50, p. 182.  For a larger archaistic gu (33cm.), than the present example, with flanges along the body and base, and with Kangxi mark and of the period, see Helmut Brinker and Albert Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné. The Pierre Uldry Collection, Zurich, 1989, nos. 224, 224a.  Compare another larger (28.6cm.) gu vase from the Palace Museum, Beijing, attributed to the Qianlong period, with flanges to the cylindrical body and flared foot, illustrated in Views of Antiquity in the Qing Imperial Palace, Macao, 2005, no. 19, pp. 92-93.  Compare also a slightly more robust and larger (31.5cm.) gu with similar decoration and incised leiwen to lip and foot, attributed to the Qianlong period, sold in our London rooms, 29th June 1976, lot 12.