Rare double vase en bronze taché d'or Marque et époque Qianlong

les deux vases piriformes joints par un enchevêtrement de motifs archaïsants, décorés d'un dragon et d'un phénix en haut-relief, chaque col agrémenté d'une gueule de dragon carrée tenant un carré, les bords reliés par une tête de chimère, marque à six caractères en relief à la base

The vase is in very good overall condition. It is heavily and crisply cast with large irregular gilt splashes, the bronze patinated to a soft dark brown. There are very minor frits to the raised parts of the casting. The actual colour of the bronze is lighter and of a more golden tone than the catalogue illustration suggests.
"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."

Vases of double pear form such as the present example are known in a variety of sizes and designs. As Robert Mowry notes double vases may have served an ornamental rather than practical function demonstrating the Qianlong Emperor's taste for paired objects and archaistic designs, see Robert H. Mowry, China's Renaissance in Bronze. The Robert H. Clague Collection of Later Chinese Bronzes 1100-1900, Phoenix, AZ, 1994, pp. 190-191. Compare also a miniature version of a gilt-splashed bronze double vase, formerly in the Qing Court collection, published in Through the Prism of the Past: Antiquarian Trends in Chinese Art of the 16th to 18th Century, Taipei, 2003, p. 157. fig. III-22. A related double vase with a gilt-metal body and champleve decoration similarly cast with a Qianlong mark and dated to 1786, is illustrated in Spink and Son Ltd., The Minor Arts of China, III, London, 1987, p. 78, cat. no. 97.