Page 136 - Important Chinese Art, Sotheby's London May 15 2019

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PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN LADY This exquisitely enamelled vase is an extremely In style this vase epitomises the fusion of the
A VERY RARE SMALL PINK-GROUND rare example of Jiaqing marked painted enamel. West with East. The subject of a foliate peony
ENAMEL BOTTLE VASE It is likely to have been produced in the early and lotus scroll between stiff leaves and lappets
years of his reign, during the years of the Qian-
is typically Chinese; however in their rendering
JIAQING MARK AND PERIOD long Emperor’s abdication in 1796 and his death they are inspired by the Western rococo style.
the rounded sides rising from a short in 1799 when he still retained authority over the Leaves take on the form of acanthus leaves and
splayed foot to a long slender neck, vibrantly imperial workshops in the Forbidden City. The the innovative colour palette mirrors the sump-
and intricately painted to the exterior with small proportions of the vase and complex yet tuous taste of French decorative arts of the late
elaborate multi-coloured lotus blooms borne harmonious design and intricate details of the eighteenth century.
on meandering foliage scrolls connected with flower petals, all rendered in vibrant colours The small proportions of this vase suggest it
smaller buds, the shoulders detailed with against a pink ground, reflect the mastery of the was made as a miniature for a curio box. Boxes
a border of mallow flowers across vertical craftsmen in producing unique pieces according made to house small carefully collected antiq-
plantain leaves, the neck decorated with similar to the Emperor’s taste. uities were greatly favoured by the Qianlong
stylised lotus scrolls below a ruyi-shaped The fine enamelling and exceptional quality Emperor. According to the catalogue to the ex-
border at the rim, with a further foliate border of the vase attests to it being the product of hibition Lord Jiaqing and the Journey to Taiwan:
at the foot, reserved on a rich pink ground, all the Enamel Workshop that was in charge of A Special Exhibition on Cultural Artifacts of the
between gilt at the rim and foot, the interior producing cloisonné, champlevé and painted Qing Emperor Renzong, National Palace Muse-
enamelled turquoise, the white base inscribed enamel wares on metal, glass and porcelain um, Taipei, 2016, p. 242, curios from Qianlong
with a four-character mark within a square in for the emperor and his family. Located in the boxes appear to have been reorganised and
red Forbidden City, the workshops employed artists continued to be appreciated in the Jiaqing reign.
10.5 cm, 4⅛ in.
of the highest skills who manufactured daily
wares as well as one-off, often unconventional,
£ 100,000-150,000
HK$ 1,030,000-1,540,000 pieces that were frequently commissioned by
US$ 131,000-197,000 the emperor himself. The technique of enam-
elling on metal was originally introduced to the
清嘉慶 御製銅胎畫琺瑯粉地 Chinese craftsmen in the Guangzhou area by
Jesuit missionaries around 1684. Being a port
番蓮紋箸瓶
city, these artisans were the first to be exposed
《嘉慶年製》款 to wares from Europe and had mastered the
technical skills necessary.

mark

134 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 circumstanc-
es). Refer to the Buying at Auction and VAT sections at the back of this catalogue for further information.