Page 38 - Sotheby's Speelman Collection Oct. 3, 2018

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A SMALL CLOISONNE 清乾隆 掐絲琺瑯螭龍獸面紋

ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE 鋪首活環耳小壺
‘CHILONG’ VASE, HU 《乾隆年製》款

MARK AND PERIOD OF
QIANLONG

of rectangular section, cast with a pear-shaped body rising
from a short foot to a flaring mouth, the neck flanked by a pair
of gilt-bronze mask handles, each suspending a loose ring, the
body of the vessel decorated with two main turquoise-ground
registers divided by a band enclosing taotie masks against a
dark blue ground, each of the main bands similarly rendered
with pairs of confronting chilong soaring above waves and
jagged rockwork, all between bands of stylised ruyi motifs
encircling the rim and foot, the base with a four-character
reign mark within a double square
8.8 cm, 3⅜ in.

HK$ 500,000-700,000
US$ 64,000-89,500

The archaistic form and stylised chilong on this superbly
enamelled vase encapsulates the Qianlong Emperor’s
reverence for antiquity. The current vase is unusual for its
elegant hu-shaped hexagonal form. The enamelled decoration
of a pair of confronting dragons is particularly powerful and
of high quality. Vases of this shape have their roots in archaic
ritual bronze hu vessels. However, the Qing craftsmen added
their own design elements and made liberal changes to the
prototype, thus creating pieces that were contemporary and
unique. For example, the flaring neck replaces the plain, broad
and shorter neck characteristic of the archaic vessels. For
a larger cloisonné enamel flask of the same period from the
Qing court collection and still in Beijing, intricately enamelled
with similar stylised dragons and sharing other distinct
characteristics, including identical treatment of the mark and
the ruyi border at the foot, see The Complete Collection of
Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-bodied Enamel Ware,
Hong Kong, 2002, p. 105, pl. 102.

Mark

36 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比