Page 69 - March 23, 2022 Sotheby's NYC Fine Chinese Works of Art

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PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN 清乾隆 銅胎掐絲琺瑯纏枝蓮紋朝冠耳
A CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL ‘LOTUS’ TRIPOD 三足爐配蓋
CENSER AND A COVER 《乾隆年製》款
MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG
the base incised with a four-character mark within a square 來源
cartouche (2) Frédéric Amé-Leroy (1879-1969) 收藏，約1930年得於歐
Height 11½ in., 29.2 cm
洲，此後家族傳承
PROVENANCE
Collection of Frédéric Amé-Leroy (1879-1969), acquired in
Europe circa 1930, and thence by descent.
This lavishly decorated censer exemplifies the apogee of
artistic and technical achievement of cloisonné enamel
craftsmanship during the Qianlong period (r. 1736-1795).
The censer is of ding form, based on the shape of archaic
ritual vessels of the Shang dynasty. Its cauldron-like shape,
standing on three stout legs, reflects the predilection in the
Ming and Qing periods for vessels in the form of archaic
bronzes of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Although the
overall outlines of the archaic models were retained, the
imperial craftsmen liberally applied more contemporary lotus
scrolls to the body.
Cloisonné enamel censers of this type were likely used to
furnish the temples located within the imperial compound.
Altar garnitures typically comprise an incense burner, placed
in the center, flanked by two candleholders and gu-shaped
vases, all placed on tall stools, as seen in a 20th century
picture of the Daxiongbaodian of the Tanzhe Temple near
280 Beijing, illustrated in Helmut Brinker and Albert Lutz, Chinese
Cloisonné. The Pierre Uldry Collection, New York, 1989, p. 53,
fig. 29.
PROPERTY FROM A FLORIDA PRIVATE COLLECTION 清十八 / 十九世紀 銅胎掐絲琺瑯三多紋
A LARGE CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL ‘SANDUO’ 雙桃形大洗 Compare a related example, also with a Qianlong mark, in
the Palace Museum, Beijing, displayed as part of a garniture
PEACH-FORM BASIN 《乾隆年製》款 which was included in the Royal Academy of Arts exhibition,
QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY China: The Three Emperors, 1662-1795, Royal Academy of
Arts, London, 2005, cat. no. 44. The design on the present
the base with a Qianlong nianzhi four-character mark 來源
reserved on a blue enamel square 1990年代末至2000年代初之間得於巴西 (傳) censer also appears to be closely related to the group of
Width 18 in., 46 cm smaller Qianlong-marked tripod censers usually found with
an additional character after the reign mark. For example,
compare a censer belonging to this group sold at Christie’s
PROVENANCE Hong Kong, 30th May 2006, lot 1564.
Acquired in Brazil, in the late 1990s - early 2000s (by repute).
The present censer belonged to the collection of Frédéric
Cast in the shape of a peach, this massive basin is Amé-Leroy (1879-1969) (fig. 1), a former French ambassador,
remarkable for its size, colorful enamels and naturalistic who worked with Léon Bourgeois on the drafting of the Treaty
handle which takes the form of a gnarled branch. Compare of Versailles after World War I. In the 1920s-30s, ambassador
a few other large cloisonné enamel peach-form vessels all Amé-Leroy was stationed in Geneva, Munich and Oslo, and
attributed to the Qianlong period. See one with a slightly worked toward the betterment of diplomatic relations in
incurved rim, included in the exhibition Colourful, Elegant and post-war France.
Exquisite: A Special Exhibition of Imperial Enamel Ware from
Mr Robert Chang’s Collection, Suzhou Museum, Suzhou, $ 25,000-35,000
2007, cat. no. 122; another from the collection of Sir John
Buchanan-Jardine, Bt., included in the International Exhibition
of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935, cat. no.
2019, and later sold in our London rooms, 18th October 1960,
lot 84; a third sold in our London rooms, 7th November 2007,
lot 439; and a fourth sold in these rooms, 23rd September
1997, lot 111, and then again in our Hong Kong rooms, 13th
October 2021, lot 3655.

$ 50,000-70,000

134 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N10917 135