A RARE GILT-BRONZE MOUNTED BEIJING ENAMEL WASHER MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

the shallow flaring sides rising from a flat base, finely enamelled to the interior with two fish swimming amidst water plants, encircled at the rim with a leafy scroll band, the base with lingzhi and a double-gourd enclosing the blue four-character mark, the gilt-bronze mount finely incised with leafy floral sprays and all raised on three small cabriole feet

The enamelling on the interior is in very good condition, fired with no cracking and well preserved. The base has been slightly misfired with the white areas turning pink with a patch of opaque white spots. The gilt mounting has some oxidation, but is in otherwise very good condition.
"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 enamelled and unique washer belongs to a small group of wares that were made by artists working in the Enamelling Workshop that was part of the Zaobanchu (Imperial Palace Workshop) located in the Forbidden City. While understated in design, this piece is impressive for the naturalistic sense of gentle movement of the carp scene achieved through a multitude of tiny brushstrokes. Moreover, the subtle tonal gradations of the carp enhance the sense of three-dimensionality and realism of the water scene. Compare a miniature tiered box painted in a closely related style with various scenes on each tier, including one of carp swimming through waterweeds, with a four-character reign mark of Qianlong inscribed within a large peach, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29^th October 2001, lot 647.

The charming way of placing the reign mark in a fruit derives from the Yongzheng period, where it is also extremely rare, and may indicate manufacture early in the Qianlong reign. Although no other washer of this design appears to be recorded, a washer of this form, also with a four-character Qianlong mark in blue enamel within a peach, is on display in the Palace Museum, Beijing (fig. 1). For a Beijing-enamelled box also inscribed with a four-character Qianlong mark within a double gourd, and of the period, see one published in Zhongguo jin yin boli falang qi quanji, Shijiazhuang, 2002, pl. 152. See also a pair of floral enamelled bowls with a Qianlong reign mark on a fruiting and flowering peach spray, sold in our New York rooms, 1^st June 1993, lot 99; and another pair, with the mark on a flower citron, also sold in our New York rooms, 5^th November 1977, lot 20. For a ruby-back famille-rose porcelain cup with a Yongzheng reign mark enclosed within a double peach, see one in the Baur collection, illustrated in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, vol. 2, Geneva, 1999, pl. 218, where he notes that the 'unusual style of mark is appropriate to a special imperial gift; it has been suggested, for a royal birthday' (see p. 100).   

The present piece successfully combines a traditionally Chinese motif with a European style of painting and medium. Painting in enamels on metal is essentially a Western art that gained prominence in Europe during the Renaissance and was first introduced to the Enamel Workshop around 1714-1716. The Zaobanchu produced cloisonné, champlevé and painted enamel wares for the Emperor and his family. By the eighteenth century, enamelling on metal had reached its peak and reflected the extravagant taste of the Qianlong emperor. The present washer was made by skilled craftsmen who were predominantly recruited from Guangzhou where this art form initially developed and flourished. The technique of enamelling on metal was introduced to Guangzhou by Jesuit missionaries who entered the port and had brought samples of limoges wares from Europe. Yang Boda in the exhibition catalogue Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1987, p. 63, notes that the enamel factories in Guangzhou supplied versatile artisans to the Palace workshop and that both the development and improvement of the standard of the Imperial Enamel Workshop was entirely dependent on the Guangdong factories.