Page 233 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Chinese Art
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The present vase is extremely rare with only fig. 1
one other example known and probably the Archaistic vase, zhi, seal mark and period of Qianlong,
companion to this piece, but lacking its original from the collection of Ernest Grandidier (Musée Guimet -
stand, from the collection of Ernest Grandidier musée national des Arts asiatiques, Paris, G3274)
and now in the Musée Guimet, Paris, inventory © MNAAG, Paris, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais/Richard Lambert
no. G3274 (fig. 1). This pair is remarkable for the
opulent gilt decoration and it is extremely rare to An archaistic vase with identical leiwen patterns
find a porcelain vessel simulating bronze together against a robin’s-egg ground was exhibited in
with a fitted stand simulating lacquer. Imitations Emperor Ch’ien-lung’s Grand Cultural Enterprise,
of other materials were a challenge taken up National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2002, cat. no.
by the Jingdezhen potters in the Yongzheng V-9, together with a robin’s-egg-ground gilt-
reign (1723-1735) to display the great potential decorated incense burner simulating bronze,
of their craft and appear to have pleased the cat. no. V-7. For the stand of the present
Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795) in particular. piece compare a black-glazed gilt-decorated
Among the many simulations created by the double-gourd vase, ibid., cat. no. V-8. Compare
imperial workshops for the Qianlong Emperor, similar kui dragons on a robin’s egg-ground
those imitating archaic bronzes appear to have gilt-decorated archaistic vase, which was in
been the most popular. Ritual bronze vessels the collections of Lord Loch of Drylaw (1827-
particularly of the late Shang (c. 1600-c. 1050 1900) and Alfred Morrison (1821-1897) of the
BC) and Western Zhou (c. 1050-771 BC) periods, Fonthill House, sold at Christie’s London, 18th
which the Emperor equally collected, inspired October 1971, lot 52, and again in these rooms,
precise trompe-l’oeil copies as well as ‘modern’ 7th October 2010, lot 2128, from the collection
interpretations, like the present vase. Bronzes of J.T. Tai. An archaistic simulated bronze vase
were simulated through a variety of glazes, with comparable kui dragons and plantain leaves,
typically a brown of ‘café-au-lait’ or ‘teadust’ sold at Christie’s London, 1st October 1991, lot
type heightened with gold, and this was often 809, was exhibited in Evolution to Perfection.
combined with a mottled turquoise or green Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection/
glaze to evoke the blue-green patina of ancient Evolution vers la perfection. Céramiques de Chine
metalwork. The lavish use of robin’s-egg glaze de la Collection Meiyintang, Sporting d’Hiver,
seen on the present vase is, however, unusual. Monte Carlo, 1996, cat. no. 201, and illustrated
in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the
Compare a vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 2,
echoing an archaic bronze zun with only a no. 953, and was sold again in these rooms 5th
narrow band of this robin’s-egg glaze reserved October 2011, lot 19.
on an overall teadust surface, illustrated in Qing
Porcelain of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong
Periods from the Palace Museum Collection,
Hong Kong, 1989, p. 412, pl. 93, together with a
gu and a bell simulating bronzes, pp. 414f., pls 95
and 96. For another porcelain gu see Zhou Lili,
Studies of the Shanghai Museum Collections: Qing
Dynasty Imperial Porcelain from the Yongzheng to
Xuantong Period, Shanghai, 2014, pl. 3-65.
For the prototype of the maki-e lacquerware that
the porcelain stand here so skilfully simulates,
see the framework and decoration on a tiered box
from the Qing court collection, preserved in the
Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition
China: The Three Emperors, 1662-1795, Royal
Academy of Arts, London, 2005, cat. no. 176.
IMPORTANT CHINESE ART 231
