Page 115 - Tianminlou Hong Kong Sotheby's April 3 2019

The innovation of wall vases can be traced
Qianlong Emperor in the 30th year of his reign
back to at least the Ming dynasty. Flattened (corresponding to 1765) and was included in
at the back as though cut in half and often a compilation of imperial poems the following
made in pairs, these vases were used to hold year(fig. 1). Four yangcai wall vases in the
flowers both in indoor settings and inside collection of the National Palace Museum,
sedan chairs. During the Qianlong reign, they Taipei, are adorned with the same poem, albeit
were particularly favoured by the Emperor and in various scripts: Two handled vases bear
many wall vases were made using different inscriptions in regular script (accession nos
materials, frequently inscribed with imperial zhong ci 01932 and 01931), another handled
poems and seals. In a poem featured on one vase features clerical-script poem (zhong ci
porcelain wall vase, the Qianlong Emperor 01934) and a fourth one running-cursive script
commented on the pleasure provided by (zhong ci 01926). They all bear similar seals
these vases when filled with flowers, which reading Qian and Long, and are inscribed with
allowed him to enjoy their fragrance while four-character horizontal reign marks. See
the ‘red dust’ (cares of the world) could not also a blue-ground gilt-decorated double-
reach him (see the catalogue to the exhibition gourd wall vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing,
China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal decorated with the same poem in regular
Academy of Arts, London, 2005, pl. 445). A script, illustrated in Hall of Mental Cultivation
wall vase hanging on the interior of a sedan of The Palace Museum – Imperial Residence of
chair is depicted in the painting An Ice Game Eight Emperors, Hong Kong, 2017, cat. no. 53.
by Jin Kun, Cheng Zhidao and Fu Longan, in Evenly enveloped by a Longquan-inspired
the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The celadon glaze and pencilled in gilt with
Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace archaistic kui dragons, this wall vase
Museum. Paintings by the Court Artists of the exemplifies the Qianlong period’s reverence
Qing Court, Hong Kong, 1996, no. 61. A group for antiquity. However, despite the chilong
of Qianlong wall vases of different forms can handles which draw reference from ancient
be seen in situ at the Sanxitang (The Studio of bronzes, the present flattened rectangular
Three Rarities) in the Palace Museum, Beijing, form appears to be a Qianlong period
as illustrated in the exhibition catalogue China. innovation. Wall vases of this form are
The Three Emperors 1662-1795, op.cit., p. 44, preserved in the National Palace Museum,
fig. 15.
Taipei; a robin’s-egg glazed archaistic example
According to an official memorial on wall vases similarly decorated with kui dragons in gilt, is
written by Tang Ying (1682-1756) dated to the included in The Enchanting Splendor of Vases
7th year (1742), imperial poems were to be and Planters: A Special Exhibition of Flower
inscribed in one of four styles – seal, clerical, Vessels from the Ming and Qing Dynasties,
cursive and regular scripts – to match the Taipei, 2014, no. II-47 (zhong ci 01946).
different forms of wall vases. There are also a famille-rose wall vase with
The poem inscribed on this wall vase, entitled floral scrolls (zhong ci 01927) and another
On Porcelain Wall Vase, was written by the decorated with puce enamel (zhong ci 05391).