A YELLOW-GROUND FAMILLE-ROSE 'BAJIXIANG' TRUNCATED ALTAR VASE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF JIAQING

the bulbous body supported on a splayed foot, surmounted by a domed neck and waisted everted rim, decorated on a yellow ground around the exterior with the bajixiang emblems alternating with lotus flowers wreathed in multi-coloured scrolls, below lobed upright lotus petals surrounding the neck, the base with light blue scrolls, the turquoise base inscribed with an iron-red seal mark

The top canopy has been polished down with an associated chip of 0.8 cm. The centre of the base and the sides have been drilled through and refilled. There are minor surface wear to the enamels and gilt decoration.
"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 closely related example, with canopy, was included in the exhibition Late Chinese Imperial Porcelain, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1980, cat. no. 10; and another was sold in these rooms, 29th October 2001, lot 598. Vases of this type were first produced during the late Qianlong period in imitation of metal-bodied Tibetan altar vases, such as the jewelled silver benja pot made for use in one of the Buddhist chapels in the Forbidden City, illustrated in Cultural Relics of Tibetan Buddhism Collected in the Qing Palace, Beijing, 1992 pl. 146 (partly concealed by its pleated silk wrapping). For a Qianlong prototype, see one sold twice in these rooms, 22nd May 1979, lot 268, and 17th May 1988, lot 112, and a third time at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29th May 2007, lot 1507.