A FINE AND RARE PAIR OF CHINESE 'FAMILLE-ROSE' 'SOLDIER' VASES AND COVERS QING DYNASTY, CIRCA 1740

each of tall baluster form, finely painted around the sides with two ladies standing on a terrace with two deer and a crane observing Xi Wang Mu, Queen Mother of the West, as she appears before them seated on a phoenix, attendants floating amongst clouds behind her, all beneath a deep, elaborately patterned border of iron-red foliate scrolls and blue enamelled clouds around the neck and shoulder, the domed covers similarly patterned and surmounted by gilt-biscuit lion-dog knops. Together with a pair of later giltwood stands. 6 pieces.

Property of a Gentleman, sold, Sotheby's, London, 4th November, 1969, lot 182.

The vases: Both are in good condition with very occassional minor flaking and scratches to the enamels. One has a 1 in. hair crack to the rim. The covers: One cover is in good condition with small patches of flaking to the gilding on the finial and minor restored losses and chips to the lion-dog's mane and teeth. The other cover is in good condition with the exception of the finial which has some restoration and repainting, particularly around the neck.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The terms 'soldier' or 'dragoon' which are frequently applied to vases of this massive size are taken from an event in 1717, when Augustus the Strong, (1670-1733), King of Poland and Elector of Saxony and inveterate porcelain collector, traded a regiment of soldiers for a group of porcelain including several blue and white Kangxi period vases of this very large size. Those vases came from the collection of Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia and had been housed within his own porcelain collection at Schloss Oranienburg.

'Soldier' vases, despite their large size, appear to have been made in some quantity, and examples exist in blue and white, iron-red and gilt, Imari and famille-rose palettes. Most of these are now found in the West and it is generally assumed that they were made for the export market, although the subject matter and particularly fine quality of the decoration on the present examples might suggest otherwise. Figural decoration, particularly on the large scale of the present pieces, is an extremely rare subject for vases of this size, which are usually decorated with flowering plants or exotic birds. Only one other pair is known with directly related figural decoration.  Depicting large figures of ladies on a terrace playing a game of go, that pair was formerly in the collection of Alfred Morrison at Fonthill House, and was sold at Christie's, London, 18th October, 1971, lot 30; and again at Sotheby's, Paris, 27th June, 2001, lot 316.