Page 23 - Sotheby's London Important Chinese Art Nov. 2019

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A GILT-BRONZE, CLOISONNE AND CHAMPLEVE
ENAMEL ‘ELEPHANT AND VASE’ GROUP
QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD
standing foursquare with its head gently turned to one
side, supported on its back with a turquoise-ground
archaistic form vase on a double lotus base, its well
rounded body caparisoned with ornamental trappings
set with semi-precious stones, a tasseled saddle draped
with a turquoise-ground cloth detailed with diaper
pattern, all raised on a balustraded octagonal lotus stand
supported on ruyi-form feet
Height 23.9 cm, 9⅜ in.

The pair to this piece was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th
November 2011, lot 3174. See also gilt-bronze elephants
carrying a vase, similarly decorated with elements in
cloisonné and champlevé enamels such as a pair sold in our
Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2010, lot 2618; another sold
in these rooms, 1st July 1969, lot 31; and an elephant sold in
our Monaco rooms, 13th February 1983, lot 377, and again
at Christie’s London, 7th November 2006, lot 109. See also
a larger elephant and vase group in the collection of the
Summer Palace, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu fenlei quanji.
Zhongguo jinyin boli falang qi quanji, [Complete Book of
Gold and Silver Wares, Glass Wares and Cloisonné Enamels
Volume], vol. 6, Shijiazhuang, 2002, pl. 281.

‡ £ 50,000-70,000
HK$ 489,000-685,000 US$ 62,500-87,500
清乾隆 掐絲及鏨胎琺瑯太平有象

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