Page 47 - Sotheby's Imperial Chiense Porcelain Nov 4 2020 London

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A RARE GOLD-ENAMELLED STEMCUP 清雍正 金彩高足盃
YONGZHENG MARK AND PERIOD
《大清雍正年製》款
with a deep U-shaped cup supported on a short stem rising
from a wide splayed foot, richly covered overall save for the
base with an even gold enamel, the white base inscribed with
a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue
Height 8.5 cm, 3⅜ in.
‡ £ 50,000-70,000

Stemcups of this form covered entirely in gold enamel are
very rare and no other closely related example appears
to have been published. While originating in the Song
dynasty (960-1279), this stunning glaze was revived and
perfected in the Kangxi period (r. 1662-1722). The Jesuit
missionary Père François-Xavier d’Entrecolles (1644-
1741) describes in detail its manufacture, noting that gold
was grinded, left to dry and then mixed with white lead
before being applied to a porcelain vessel.
Compare a much larger gold-enamelled stembowl and
cover of different form and lacking the reign mark, in
the Fondation Baur, Geneva, included in the Museum’s
exhibition Mille Ans de Monochrome, Geneva, 2018, cat.
no. 166; another example from the H.M. Knight collection,
sold in these rooms, 11th December 1979, lot 327; and
a third cup from the collection of Ira and Nancy Koger,
sold at Christie’s New York, 14th September 2006, lot
406. Compare also with a Yongzheng mark and period
stemcup of this form decorated in gilt with a dragon
against a black ground, in the Palace Museum, Beijing,
illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the
Palace Museum, Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong,
1999, pl. 122.

mark

90 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). 91
Refer to the Buying at Auction and VAT sections at the back of this catalogue for further information.