Page 20 - Sotheby's Imperial Chiense Porcelain Nov 4 2020 London

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A RARE BLACK-GROUND AND GREEN- 清乾隆 墨地綠彩纏枝花卉紋梅瓶
ENAMELLED ‘FLORAL’ MEIPING
QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD 《大清乾隆年製》款
well potted, the broad rounded shoulders elegantly rising 來源
from a gently splayed base and sweeping to a tapered neck Spink & Son Ltd.，倫敦（標簽）
and a lipped mouth, densely painted to the body with stylised
flowerheads borne on meandering vines against a ground of
leafy scrolls, all between a ruyi border below the neck and
a band of upright lappets encircling the foot, all reserved
on a lustrous black ground, the base inscribed with a six-
character seal mark in underglaze blue
Height 18 cm, 7 in.
PROVENANCE
Spink & Son Ltd., London (according to label).
‡ £ 60,000-80,000

Elegantly fashioned with gently swelling shoulders
and a tapering body, this meiping is a rare and notable
example of wares decorated in green enamel against a
glossy black ground. The stunning palette, here used to
create a silhouette-like floral scroll, was created by first
covering the entire vessel in translucent green enamel
before reserving the design and adding fine details with
black pigment. This colour combination originated in
the Kangxi period (r. 1662-1722) as an extension of the
famille-verte palette, where polychrome enamels are set
against a white ground. By the Yongzheng (r. 1723-1735)
and Qianlong reigns the technique was refined by layering
the black glaze to produce a glossier opaque effect as on
this vase.
While open vessels such as bowls and dishes decorated
in this visually striking palette are known, vases are
unusual, and those of this form are very rare. Only one
other closely related meiping appears to have been
published, from the Qing court collection and still
in Beijing, it is illustrated in The Complete Collection
of Treasures in the Palace Museum. Miscellaneous
Enamelled Porcelains Plain Tricoloured Porcelains, Hong
Kong, 2009, pl. 120. Compare also a slightly smaller
meiping sold at Christie’s New York, 2nd June 1994, lot
361.

mark

36 Buyers are liable to pay both the hammer price (as estimated above) and the buyer’s premium together with any applicable taxes and Artist’s Resale Right (which will depend on the individual circumstances). 37
Refer to the Buying at Auction and VAT sections at the back of this catalogue for further information.