Page 338 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Chinese Art

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PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN 清乾隆 青花纏枝花卉紋貫耳瓶
《大清乾隆年製》款
A FINE BLUE AND WHITE MING-
STYLE ARROW VASE 來源：
SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF 香港佳士得2006年5月30日，編號1408
QIANLONG 香港蘇富比2010年10月8日，編號2780

the ovoid body painted with stylised foliate
scrolls, set between pendent and upright plantain
leaves, the tall cylindrical neck detailed with
swirling waves rising to a slightly flared rim,
flanked by a pair of lug handles and fastened
together with a keyfret band, the underside
inscribed with a six-character seal mark
19.3 cm, 7⅝ in.

PROVENANCE

Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th May 2006, lot 1408.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8th October 2010, lot
2780.

HK$ 1,200,000-1,500,000
US$ 154,000-192,000

The present vase is an archetypal example of Vases of this elegant form are known as arrow
the archaistic style favoured by the Qianlong vases on account of their similarity with archaic
Emperor as it follows imperial porcelain designs bronze vessels used for touhu, a ‘pitch-pot’ game.
of the Xuande reign, which were in turn inspired Touhu was a contest between players who had to
by archaic bronze vessels. A closely related throw arrows into the mouth or tubular handles
vase from the Qing court collection and still in of the vase which was placed at an equal distance
Beijing, included in the International Exhibition between two mats on which the players knelt
of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, (for a painting illustrating the Xuande Emperor
1935, is published in Illustrated Catalogue of enjoying the game, see The Edward T. Chow
Chinese Government Exhibits for the International Xuande Bowl, lot 3301, fig. 1). Touhu or arrow
Exhibition of Chinese Art in London, Shanghai, vases continued to be produced in the Song
1936, pl. 263; another in the National Palace dynasty and later, and were made in various
Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Blue-and-White media including bronze, cloisonné and ceramics.
Ware of the Ch’ing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1968, vol. This particular design appears to have been
II, pl. 7; a third in the Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, first reproduced in the Yongzheng reign; see for
is illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the example a Yongzheng mark and period vase, in
Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, pl. 140; the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Qingdai
and a further example was sold at Christie’s New yuyao ciqi [Qing porcelains from the imperial kilns
York, 19th March 2008, lot 601. For the Xuande preserved in the Palace Museum], vol. 1, pt. II,
prototype of this vase, see one in the National Beijing, 2005, pl. 22.
Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s
Special Exhibition of Hsuan-Te Wares, Taipei,
1980, cat. no. 8.

Mark SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比
336