Page 238 - Nov 29 2017 HK Important Chinese Ceramics

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A RARE PAIR OF CORAL-GROUND ‘MELON’ JARS Fruit-form ceramic vessels have a long history in China dating back
AND COVERS to the Tang Period, and remain popular in the Qing Dynasty. The form
QIANLONG GILT SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARKS AND OF THE of a melon naturally lends itself very well to its transference into a
porcelain jar, with its stem forming the finial of the cover. An interesting
PERIOD (1736-1795) stylistic parallel can be drawn with the lifelike pyramid of trompe l’oeil
Each jar is delicately modelled in the form of a melon with persimmons on an offering stand offered at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5
six evenly spaced lobes, the domed covers are decorated with October 2016, lot 105.
two realistically executed insect-eaten leaves and trailing vines This lobed melon form is not only seen in Qianlong-period jars but also
connected by a gnarled stem which forms the finial. The boxes are in teapots. See a pair of mark and period famille rose teapots sold at
covered in a vibrant coral red enamel. Bonhams London, 12 May 2011, lot 368, and a mark and period famille
5 in. (12.5 cm.) high (2) rose inscribed teapot sold at Christie’s London, 6 November 2012, lot
260), and in jade, see a white jade teapot sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong,
HK$350,000-400,000 US$46,000-51,000 3 October 2017, 3613.
Compare a pair of blue-ground quatrefoil jars and covers with Qianlong
PROVENANCE seal marks also written in gilt sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 3 October
Chait Galleries, New York (according to labels) 2017, lot 3628. For further porcelain examples inscribed with Qianlong
gilt seal marks, see a faux-lacquer hat stand and a faux-cloisonné
enamel censer in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in
Catalog of the Special Exhibition of K’ang-hsi, Yung-cheng, and Ch’ien-
lung Porcelain Ware from the Ch’ing Dynasty in the National Palace
Museum, Taipei, 1986, no. 112 and no. 145, respectively.

清乾隆 珊瑚紅釉瓜形蓋罐一對 描金六字篆書款

來源
Chait Galleries，紐約（根據標籤）

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