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fig. 1 A doucai bottle vase, Qianlong seal mark and pe-
riod; image courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.
The Property of a Lady 女士藏品
69 The doucai style of decoration, whereby the design is outlined in
A very rare doucai and gilt baluster vase underglaze blue and filled in with overglaze enamel, was derived from
Qianlong seal mark and of the period the technique of cloisonné introduced to China during the Yuan Dynasty.
The rounded body outlined in underglaze blue and brightly enamelled One of the peak periods for doucai production was during the reign of
with four alternating iron-red and pink lotus blossoms amidst dense the Chenghua Emperor, which saw the manufacture of doucai chicken
foliate scrolls in yellow, grisaille and shades of green issuing delicate bowls and stem cups prized and imitated throughout subsequent
hibiscus flowers, all between a band of pendent gilt ruyi heads at the generations. However, whereby earlier Imperial doucai-decorated vessels
shoulder and stiff lappets above a key-fret band on the gently flaring were restricted to smaller sizes, the present vase, though keeping with
foot, the neck similarly decorated with two iron-red lotus blossoms amid a traditional lotus scroll design, is a statement of technical virtuosity,
leafy scrolls beneath ruyi heads and lappets at the broad gilded mouth. exhuberance and power.
43.4cm (17 1/8in) high
£20,000 - 30,000 Compare a related doucai vase, with a similarly moulded shape at
HK$240,000 - 350,000 CNY190,000 - 280,000 the base of the neck, in the Qing Court Collection illustrated in The
Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelains in
清乾隆 鬥彩描金纏枝蓮紋瓶 青花「大清乾隆年製」篆書款 Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, no.252, and
another ‘lotus scroll’ doucai vase also in the Qing Court Collection,
Provenance: an English private collection ibid., no.255 (see fig.1 above). A further example in the Wang Xing Lou
Collection is illustrated by J.Thompson, Imperial Perfection: The Palace
來源：英國私人收藏 Porcelain of the Three Chinese Emperors, Hong Kong, 2004, no.46.
The propserity, stability and length of the Qianlong period combined It is also very rare to find the presence of pink enamel, more commonly
with the Emperor’s personal interest and patronage of the arts, resulted grouped into the famille rose style, on a piece primarily decorated in the
in one of the most important periods in China’s imperial history of art doucai technique described above. Another example of this combination
production both in terms of quantity and in superb quality. The present of decorative techniques, again in the Qing Court Collection, is
vase is a magnificent example of the imperial splendour and finest illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace
craftsmanship achieved during this period, both in its impressive size and Museum: Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong,
refined and colourful design. 1999, no.245.
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