A gilt-decorated famille-rose and underglaze-blue 'floral' wall vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong | 清乾隆 青花粉彩描金開光牡丹圖雙耳壁瓶 《大清乾隆年製》款

Delicately potted, the superb famille-rose drawing of peonies and chrysanthemums in the central cartouche as well as the gilt-decorated handles and the underglaze-blue lotus scrolls combine various decorative techniques and boast the masterful skill of the potter. Intricately designed wall vases such as the present piece were introduced during the Qianlong Emperor's reign and were pleasantly enjoyed by the Emperor himself. In a poem inscribed on one porcelain wall vase, the Qianlong Emperor commented on the pleasure provided by these vases when filled with flowers, which allowed him to enjoy their fragrance while the 'red dust' (cares of the world) could not reach him (see China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, pl. 445).

Similar in decorative style, compare a Qianlong marked ruby-ground famille-rose wall vase, previously in the collection of Samuel Putnam Avery Sr., now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession no. 79.2.815). See another Qianlong mark and period wall vase of similar form, decorated with chrysanthemums to the central cartouche against a white ground with famille-rose scrolls, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3rd June 2015, lot 3149.