A Rare Pair of Beijing Enamel Octafoil Boxes and Covers Marks and Period of Qianlong

each of oval section, the sides divided into eight lobes, delicately painted to the top of each lobe with a floral bloom picked out in various shades of yellow, blue, pink, green and white enamels, all encircling a stylised eight-petalled pink flowerhead with blue scrollwork, demi florets and pointed green leaves radiating from the furrows between the lobes, the rim encircled by a lime-green trefoil border, all reserved on a pale aubergine ground, the box similarly decorated with four leafy lotus sprays against a lemon-yellow ground, enclosing a four-character reign mark within a double-square, the interior enamelled in mottled sky-blue and the rims mounted in gilt

An old Scottish collection (by repute).

Both boxes are in overall good condition, and the enamels are well preserved. There is typical minor crazing to areas of the enamels on both boxes, as expected of the period, and other minor surface wear. There is rubbing to the gilding at the rims of both boxes and covers. Left box: There are shallow enamel flakes at the lobes of the cover (largest 0.5cm ). Right box: As discernible in the catalogue photograph, there is minor enamel shrinkage at the cover, including a shallow 2cm firing flaw with resulting enamel flake There is slightly too much of a red tinge to the color of the boxes in the catalogue photos.
"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."

Exquisitely enamelled boxes of this type embody the dialogue between the East and West in the last quarter of the 17th century and the resultant achievements of craftsmen working at the Enamel Workshops in the Forbidden City during the Qing period. Boxes of this type were first created under the Kangxi Emperor and exact reproductions, with the exception of the reign mark, were commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor. It is unusual that no aspect of the box has been even slightly re-interpreted to suit Qianlong’s taste and as such is a testament to the timeless beauty of these boxes. A closely related box, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 209, together with its Kangxi prototype, pl. 183. See also a pair of boxes sold in our London rooms, 5th July 1977, lot 43; and a single box was sold at Christie’s London, 8thJune 1992, lot 195.

The technique of enamelling on metal was originally introduced to the Chinese craftsmen in the Guangzhou area by French Jesuit missionaries in 1684 following the lifting of restrictions at ports. Being a port city, these artisans were the first to be exposed to wares from Europe and developed the skills in creating such wares. Enamoured by the range of vivid and pastel tones of the imported and tributary wares, the Kangxi Emperor recruited enamel artisans from Guangzhou and Jesuit missionaries to work in the Palace and advance the proficiency of the Enamel Workshop.

Compare a yellow-ground box of this shape with similar decoration, with a Kangxi mark and of the period, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Taipei, 1999, pl. 83, together with a Kangxi five-lobed box with similar lotus blooms on a white ground, pl. 82. A bowl decorated with a similar design of lotus blooms in a similar palette to the present is also included ibid., pl. 79.