A RARE PAIR OF CHINESE EXPORT FAMILLE-ROSE ENAMELLED GOOSE TUREENS AND COVERS QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

each naturalistically modelled as a seated goose with webbed feet tucked beneath the body, the head decorated in black and pink enamel with large alert eyes and an orangey-red beak, the long curved neck of the bird forming the handle to the cover, the wings neatly folded over the back of the body and the feathers brightly decorated in black, sepia, blue and green enamel

The pair of tureens are in very good condition with the exception of one goose cover having over-painting across the middle of the high relief section of the left wing possibly covering a firing line as on the other wing, the corresponding tureen having an 8mm wide flake to the edge of the rim and some minor nibbles to the edge of the rim; the other cover has minor flaking to the pink enamel on the head, reapir to a 3.5 x 2.5cm., flake to the lower edge with some associated loss, the corresponding tureen with a 5mm., wide flake to the edge of the webbed foot and two shallow flakes to the inside edge of the flange.
"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 pair of goose tureens is notable for their bright enamelling, particularly on the puce-coloured cheeks and crest. Such decorative elements are complemented by the blue and brown feathers and the vivid orange beak that have been naturalistically rendered to result in highly attractive vessels that would have enhanced table services. A closely related example was sold twice at Christie’s London, 25^th June 1979, lot 200, and again, 16^thNovember 1981, lot 172.

 

According to David Howard and John Ayers in China for the West, vol. II, London, 1978, p. 591, the most likely origin for Chinese tureens of this type are the faience models produced in the Strasbourg factory under the Director, Adam von Lowenfinck between 1750 and 1754. Jean McClure Mudge in Chinese Export Porcelain for the American Trade 1785-1835, East Brunswick, 1981, p. 160 notes that the Dutch East India Company ordered twenty-five goose tureens in1765 and a pair of white-glazed goose tureens were given to the East India Marine Society of Salem by Captain Ward Blackler, now in the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, which indicates the wide popularity of such vessels in the West.

 

Further tureens of this form include one illustrated in Michel Beurdeley, Porcelain of the East India Companies, London, 1962, pl. 102; one from the Mottahedeh collection, published in Howard and Ayers, op. cit., p. 590, and sold in our New York rooms, 19^th October 2000, pl. 377; another from the Mr and Mrs Adolph Henry Meyer collection also sold in our New York rooms, 20^th January 1996, lot 4; and a fourth example sold at Christie’s London, 10^th May 2011, lot 330.