Page 191 - SOTHEBYS MARCH 18 AND 19 2025

Covered from base to neck with lively scenes of boys at play
The subject of 100 boys (baizi) adorning the present vase is
rendered in crisp and bright enamels, this monumental vase seemingly associated with auspicious wishes. Dating back
is an extraordinary example of its type and stands as a rare to the Song dynasty (960-1279), this depiction of children
testament to the lively aesthetics and true mastery of color engaged in games and outdoor activities is considered
perfected in the middle Qing period. symbolic of longevity, prosperity and well-being, as well
as the embodiment of adult aspirations. A popular subject
While many classical scholars once turned to the so-called during the Ming period, this motif was revived under the
‘High Qing’ period of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong reign of the Qianlong Emperor and vases of various forms
Emperors as the pinnacle of Qing craftsmanship, many were painted with playful scenes in a style similar to the
exceptional wares from later periods – the present vase present, but usually between color ground borders; see a
included – speak to a more nuanced reality. Continuing to larger vase of baluster form and high shoulders between
produce magnificent wares for the imperial court; further yellow ground borders, published in The Complete Collection
advancing their control of famille rose enamels; and applying of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with
and adapting grand motifs from classical paintings, imperial Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration,
craftsmen of the Jiaqing (1796-1820) and Daoguang (1821- Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 121; an ovoid vase with green borders,
1850) reigns are known to have produced monumental in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, illustrated in Chugoku
pieces comparable to, if not surpassing, their late Qianlong toji zenshu, vol. 21, Kyoto, 1981, pl. 117; and another ovoid
period equivalents.
vase with ruby-ground borders, from the J.M. Hu Collection,
This grand vase takes the form of a double gourd, hulu: a sold in these rooms, 4th June 1985, lot 69.
plant long steeped in auspicious symbolism. With a large Unlike his predecessors, who mainly commissioned works
number of seeds representing fertility and the wish for bearing imperial reign marks (‘Made in the year of the
numerous sons, the hulu is a frequent subject in ceramics Jiaqing Emperor’ etc.), the Daoguang Emperor is known to
and paintings alike. Particularly associated with Li Tieguai, have embraced the use of ‘hall marks’ which designated the
one of the Eight Immortals, who is often depicted with a specific desired location of a work within his vast network
double gourd at his waist containing the elixir of immortality, of palaces. The present mark, reading Xie zhu zhu ren zao,
the hulu thus is also associated with Daoist thought and a is exceedingly rare and identifies the piece as ‘Made for the
wish for longevity. Finally, historically pronounced like the Master of the Xie Bamboo’. This moniker makes references
phrase fulu, a wish for happiness and prosperity in one’s to the mythical Yellow Emperor, who is said to have invented
governmental career, the gourd is further used as a rebus. the music scale by cutting bamboo from the Xie Valley, and
Each of these levels of meaning, combined with the sheer identifies the present vase as made for the Xiezhuju (Xie
skill required to produce such a shape at scale, renders the Bamboo Studio); a personal study of the Daoguang Emperor,
present vase a remarkable and coveted object.
once located in the Jiangnan Gardens of the Summer Palace.