A 'FAMILLE-ROSE' BRUSHPOT WITH IMPERIAL INSCRIPTIONS QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

of hexagonal form supported on three short bracket feet, delicately enamelled on three sides with a spray of chrysanthemum, a sprig of peach blossoms and a cluster of narcissus, alternating with three-column poems written in black enamel in standard clerical and archaic script, each pertaining to one of the flowers and signed with two red seals Qian and long, each within a recessed lobed cartouche edged in gilt and reserved on a white ground of detached flower sprigs wreathed in scrolling foliage, between a ring of sky-blue bats above and six peaches below, the interior enamelled in pale turquoise, the rim gilt, huanghuali hexagonal stand

Collection of Edward T. Chow.

There is a thin 8 x 4 mm. flake to the interior of the rim that has been touched up (showing on the illustration p. 101 in the catalogue). There is a 3 mm. original body line/ fine contraction in the glaze on the rim at one corner. Otherwise the brushpot is in very good condition with well preserved enamels. The gilding around the rim is slightly rubbed.
"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."

A greater sense of three-dimensionality and charm has cleverly been achieved on the present piece through the slightly recessed panels containing the floral scenes and inscription. A slightly smaller brushpot of this type was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2^nd October 1991, lot 1711, and again in these rooms, 5^th October 2011, lot 2068. Compare a Qianlong mark and period hexagonal brushpot of broader proportions decorated with alternating designs of flowers and inscription, but lacking the recessed panels and floral scroll, in the Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 316.

 Porcelains with shaped panels resembling windows decorated with floral or figural scenes are characteristic of the Qianlong period, although the style appears to have been first explored under the Yongzheng emperor. Compare a brushpot of related hexagonal form painted with alternating panels of figures in landscapes and inscriptions sold in our London rooms, 17^th November 1970, lot 170; and another of rectangular section in the Palace Museum, Beijing, enamelled in grisaille on two sides with scholars in a mountainous landscape and with two famille-rose panels of flower sprays painted in the 'boneless' style, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 53.

 The three poems are extracts of the set of twelve poems inscribed by the Qianlong Emperor on an album of flowers by the court artist Zou Yigui (1686-1772) and titled Ti Zou Yigui Huahui Shier Fu. These poems are recorded in the Qing Gaozong yuzhi shiwen quanji [Anthology of Imperial Qianlong Poems], Leshantang quanji dingben, juan 28, p. 43 and were composed before February 1794.