A RARE AND FINELY ENAMELLED TURQUOISE-GROUND FAMILLE-ROSE VASE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD QIANLONG |

finely potted with a bulbous central section gently tapering up to an upright mouth, the neck adorned with gilt-decorated shou characters, above a pair of animal-head handles with gilt rings, the body brightly enamelled against a rich turquoise ground, depicting two large lotus blooms, borne on stylised foliate strapwork issuing smaller blooms, buds, and lilies around the sides, the neck similarly decorated and further embellished with iron-red bats in flight, each suspending a beribboned 'double fish' talisman, all between bands of pendent ruyi heads and upright stylised lappets, the interior and base enamelled turquoise, save for a white square on the base inscribed with a six-character seal mark in iron red

Christie's Hong Kong, 17th January 1989, lot 697.
Sotheby's New York, 30th May 1990, lot 182.

There is light retouching to the enamel flakes on one side, the vase is otherwise in good condition with the enamels generally well preserved.
"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."

With the technical advances and virtuosity of porcelain production during the Qianlong period, potters from the official kilns were able to experiment with different techniques to satisfy the Emperor's penchant for the curious and archaic. Although the idea of porcelain imitating other materials was not pioneered by the craftsmen of the Qianlong period, the technique was nevertheless very popular and perfected during his reign. This vase belongs to a group decorated to simulate cloisonné enamel, a technique where applied raised lines were used to create 'cloisons' on the body of a metal vessel which were then filled with coloured glass paste and fired. The Qianlong Emperor was particularly fond of cloisonné work which he revived on a grand scale after it having been out of favour under the Yongzheng Emperor. He had it imitated not only in enamel-painted porcelain, as seen on the present vase, but even in enamel-painted copper.

While in its colour scheme the present vase imitates cloisonné metalwork, stylistically it stands in the plain tradition of yangcai porcelain with its dense overall floral designs on a coloured ground. The design is composed of flower sprays and curling fronds which are loosely strewn all over the body but so evenly spaced over the surface that any clusters or gaps are avoided. The thin outlines confining the vibrant enamels are a brilliant means to make the colours stand out against the turquoise ground.

The importance of antiquity to the Qing Emperors is apparent in the form and mask handles of this vase. While the original hu form has been modernised through the foot that seamlessly streamlines into the swelling body, and the masks are no longer flat but modelled in the round, their prototypes are nevertheless immediately identifiable and thus honoured in this piece. Similarly conceived vases are known in various forms and designs from the Qianlong period; see an ovoid turquoise-ground famille-rose example with comparable floral scrolls and bats design, but set with a pair of ruyi handles, preserved in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, and illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelain with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 118; a restored turquoise-ground floral-decorated vase with elephant handles, also in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Geng Baochang, ed., Gugong Bowuyuan cang gu taoci ziliao xuancui [Selection of ancient ceramic material from the Palace Museum], Beijing, 2005, vol. 2, pl. 200; another larger example, flanked with iron-red mask-handles, sold three times in these rooms, 14th November 1989, lot 309, 2nd May 2000, lot 644, and 8th April 2010, lot 1852; and a vase sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 3rd December 2008, lot 2566.