Page 14 - Christie's, THREE IMPERIAL TREASURES Chinese Porcelain May 30 to June 1, 2023 Hong Kong

AUSPICIOUS ROTATION:
THE QIANLONG EMPEROR’S YANGCAI
‘DRAGON BOAT’ REVOLVING VASE

Zhuanxinping (center-turning vases) were the most iconic genre amongst the new
creations of Qianlong imperial kilns. In the records of Zaobanchu, they are often
referred to as zhuanxuanping (revolving vase), such as ‘a pair of yangcai café-au-lait
ground ‘bats and ruyi’ revolving vases’, ‘a pair of yangcai double gourd revolving
vases’ etc. Not many revolving vases survive, and their first appearance is generally
accepted to be around 1743, under the instigation of supervisor Tang Ying. They
were produced at the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen for over 30 years in accordance
with the taste and preferences of the Qianlong emperor.

瑞獻玲瓏 - 乾隆洋彩鏤雕萬字龍舟轉心瓶

轉心瓶可說是乾隆朝官窯瓷器中具代表性的新品類之一，在清代造辦處的檔案
記載中，常以「轉旋瓶」稱呼之，如〈洋彩米色地萬福如意轉旋瓶一對〉、〈洋彩
瓷葫蘆轉旋瓶一對〉等。傳世的轉心瓶數量不多，大部份產造於乾隆時期，學
界研究認為轉心瓶的燒造約出現於乾隆八年（1743）左右，由當時的督陶官唐英
所創燒，並依乾隆皇帝的品味與喜好，在景德鎮御窯廠持續燒製了三十餘年。

14 THE IMPERIAL PALETTE THREE QIANLONG TREASURES