Page 14 - Sotheby's Dr. Wou Kiuan Collection CHINESE ART , Oct. 9, 2022

Fig.3 An imperial ruby-ground yangcai 'floral scroll' vase, seal mark and
period of Qianlong, Qing court collection, National Palace Museum, Taipei
圖三 清乾隆 御製洋彩紫紅錦地雙耳轎瓶 《乾隆年製》款 清宮舊藏 台北
故宮博物院

Pieces with moveable and interlocking parts were unheard of in ceramics, but existed
in jade, where they also were very complicated to realize. Examples can be seen in the 乾隆八年（1743年）閏四月二十一日，唐
Guwantu (‘Pictures of antiques’), two handscrolls depicting works of art, probably from the 英上奏稱「新擬得夾層玲瓏交泰等瓶共玖
imperial collection painted for the Yongzheng Emperor (see Regina Krahl, ‘Chinese Jade 種，謹恭摺送京呈」，但礙於費工耗料，
Before Qianlong’, in The Woolf Collection of Chinese Jade, London, 2013, pp. 52 and 58, 「故未敢多造，伏祈皇上教導改正，以便
欽遵，再行成對燒造」。乾隆帝回覆曰：「
figs 8 a and b). To create such forms in porcelain and to fire them repeatedly at different
不必照隨常瓷器一樣多燒，嗣後按節進十數
temperatures, first for the porcelain itself, where it shrinks, and then again for the various
件。如不能成對，即將各樣燒造」。
colours, was a challenge never attempted before. Once it became possible to produce
porcelains with detached, interlocking parts, it may have seemed like the natural next 同年五月十七日，「司庫白世秀副催總達
step to make these freely moveable and able to rotate. In the following year already, 1743, 子來說太監高玉、胡世傑交⋯⋯洋彩紅地
the potters were successful and the first examples were sent to the court. This delivery 錦上添花乾坤玲瓏交泰瓶一件⋯⋯旨著配
included one vase just like the present piece. 座」，並在同月二十一日配得木座。據檔
尚有另外兩對相關瓷瓶。乾隆十年（1745
年）十一月三十日進「洋彩紅地錦上添花乾
On the 21st day in the leap 4th month of the 8th year of Qianlong, 1743, Tang Ying
坤交泰瓶一對」，下月二十一日「配得花梨
submitted a memorial to the Emperor recording his presentation to the court of a total 木座」。翌年（1746年）五月初一又進「
of nine jiazeng linglong (layered openwork) and jiaotai (interlocking) vases of innovative 洋彩紅地錦上添花交泰瓶一對」，木座則在
design, stating that he did not dare to create larger numbers, since they are so expensive 同月十八日製成。
to make; yet, he would later, if accepted, make pairs. The Emperor replied that he ought to
make pairs for those that stand alone, but that indeed he should keep numbers low and
only to submit them for special occasions.

SOTHEBY’S HONG KONG 27