A RARE PAIR OF PAINTED LACQUER FOUR-TIERED VASES AND COVERS WITH CINNABAR RED LACQUER STANDS QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

each modelled after the archaic bronze prototype, the pear-shaped body divided into four tiers, rising from a splayed foot to a waisted neck flanked by a pair of tubular handles, the exterior intricately incised and brightly painted in red, yellow and green, depicting two bands of stylised taotie masks reserved on a leiwen ground, alternating with horizontal bands of undulating archaistic scrolls, all between stylised pendant cicada lappets against a leiwen ground, the rim and the feet bordered by keyfret, similarly decorated with a cellular diaper ground on the handles, the domed cover painted with stylised archaistic phoenix reserved on a leiwen ground between key-fret and diaper bands, surmounted by an oval-sectioned finial similarly decorated with a cellular diaper ground enclosing wan symbols, all supported on an oval cinnabar-red lacquer stand carved with alternating diaper, key-fret and lappet bands above four ruyi-shaped feet, the interior and base lacquered black

An English private collection.
Bonhams London, 13th May 2010, lot 441.

The Qianlong Emperor is known for having challenged craftsmen working in the Zaobanchu (Imperial Palace Workshops) to create pieces that were technically innovative and unconventional in their aesthetics, a trend that that these vases clearly display. Their bold design would have resonated with the Emperor’s passion for antiquity, while their stacked form showcases the craftsmen’s ability to create tiers of various sizes that perfectly fit into each other. The smooth painted surfaces of the archaistic body provide a striking aesthetic contrast with the intricately carved stand which is supported on four ruyi feet. The successful combination of two lacquer techniques further highlight the dexterity of the craftsmen working in the palace workshops.

No other closely related example appears to have been published although a carved cinnabar lacquer version similarly carved with archaic bronze-inspired bands of decoration, but of smaller size, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum. Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, pl. 56, together with one lacking the neck tier and the stand, pl. 55.

These vases combine elements inspired by archaic bronze vessels of the Shang and Western Zhou dynasty: the form and taotie mask are reminiscent of a hu from the Qing court collection, now in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Bronze Ritual Vessels and Musical Instruments, Hong Kong, 2006, pl. 92; while the band near the foot is also found on a hu illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Western Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, vol. IIB, Cambridge, 1990, pl. 95. The design was cleverly executed in painted gold and silver to further echo its metal prototype.