Page 190 - Bonhams Asian Art London November 5, 2020

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY 女士藏品
189
A PAIR OF IMPERIAL RUBY-RED MELON-SHAPED GLASS
JARS AND COVERS
Qianlong four-character marks and of the period
The translucent glass of deep-red hue, of compressed globular and
lobed form, the domed covers surmounted by bud finials, wood stands.
17cm (6 3/4in) wide. (6).
£20,000 - 30,000
CNY180,000 - 260,000
清乾隆 御製紅料瓜棱形蓋罐一對
「乾隆年製」刻款

Provenance: a distinguished Scottish collection

來源：蘇格蘭顯赫私人收藏

This present lot is likely a product of the Beijing Glass Workshop,
which was established in the Imperial City by the Jesuit missionary
Kilian Stumpf during the 18th century. The shape of the glass jars with
fleshy lobes imitates a melon (gua 瓜). Because of the melon’s many
seeds, it became a symbol of progeny. The melonn or gua also relates
to the following line of poetry: ‘the blessing of ceaseless generations
of sons and grandsons’ (guadie mianmian 瓜瓞綿綿). This blessing
originates from a line in a poem included in the ‘Classic of Poetry’
(Shi Jing 詩經), China’s most ancient anthology of poetry.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
188 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.