Page 18 - Multifarious Enamels Chiense Art.pdf

from the Ch’ien-lung Reign ⬹㶦ྐ⁅ – ̖㡲᧴ྐ , op. cit., p. 156, no.
51). Liao assumes that the ‘hundred blessings’ vase in the text
is a ‘hundred deer’ vase similar to the pair with blue handles in
the National Palace Museum, and therefore ascribes a 1738 date
to that pair of deer vases. However, it is worth noting that the
painting style on the only published deer vase without handles,
in the collection of the Seikadō Bunko Art Museum (illustrated in
Seikadō zō Shinchō tōji. Keitokuchin kanyō no biǗ㤔ࢦਕⳉ ᪹ᕧ
㡦⁅ ᓣ࿍㜒೙⒋̯⟞ǘop. cit., p. 69, no. 59 fig. 7) is very different
from all the surviving deer vases with blue handles, or indeed any
of the more usual examples of this design with red handles.

It has been suggested that the vases may have been made to
celebrate the reinstatement of the imperial autumn hunt by the
Qianlong Emperor in 1738. However, the Qing historian Mark
Elliot has stated that the Qianlong Emperor actually reinstituted
the autumn hunt in 1741 (see Mark C. Elliott, Emperor Qianlong
– Son of Heaven, Man of the World, New York, 2009, p. 64). This
view tends to be borne out by a scroll painting, dated to 1741,
Troating for Deer ߂㶏ॱ fig. 8 , by Giuseppe Castiglione, in
the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, which is believed
to depict the Qianlong Emperor’s first hunting trip to Rehe in
1741. It is certainly possible that the vases were commissioned
to commemorate the re-establishment of the autumn hunt, be
that in 1738 or 1741. The unusual choice of blue and yellow for
the handles of these deer vases, which does not appear to be
replicated elsewhere, suggests that the small group of blue-
handled deer vases were a special order, perhaps to commemorate
a particular occasion. In view of the outstanding quality of the fig. 6 Deer in an Autumn Forest by Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-
painted enamels on the blue-handled vases, the 1741 date may be 1768). Sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2005, lot 1207
ॱՍ 㒢ˠഔ Ǘ⏯ᗆ⟰㶏ॱǘǎ
more likely, since in the ‘Introduction’ to the Stunning Decorative 㪁᫓ωૈྴǎ ໝ ᕕ ᑽǎሠި ⴽ
Porcelains from the Ch’ien-lung Reign catalogue, the author notes
⿏᳦᢬を̃Ϋㄗ䢲ॏ᳦₝ˮዟഘⅲᅠᒶ̖㡲 ໝ
that many of the particularly fine imperial Qianlong falangcai/
yangcai porcelains in the National Palace Museum collection can 㩾㈭ᶥᦪ⻍६ⅲԲᓣǐᴰゲ၇࿂⏯ἁⅲໝͰᒶ
th
th
be dated to the period from the 5 to the 9 year of the Qianlong ᆘ ໝ䢲Ⅾ㶏ബ⌔ᕖۿ⣵ᒶ☸࿺᢬̢̃ηǐ㐝ᇟ
reign (i.e. 1741-1744).
Ⅾ㶏ബ㢳⡩㑤ⅲⳇ㷌̣⨓ᣅ˙ഭັ䢲Κ̅ᕲ⿉ᑞ
There are several other indications as to when in the Qianlong ׆ⅲηި䢲Ꭿ᢬ዃゲ䢲㐝ˏറᇟⳇ⡩ബ⌔൲പ㟓〖
reign these remarkable vases were made. Recent research has ⽖䢲ᆘṁ᳦☸࿺ᗮ␱ṁᣅⅲᄞՔǐ㞙ᑞⳇ⡩ബⅲ₝
suggested that spectacular imperial porcelain vessels covered
ᾫῙ๼★ᑃ⚁䢲֨⦪ ໝⅲۿ⣵သ㍨㭙䢲ॏ᳦
with continuous overglaze enamel landscape scenes in Chinese
Ǘ⬹㶦ྐ⁅䣀̖㡲᧴ྐǘⅲη⡅ॼ໴ˮዠ׍䢲܀٫
style – like that seen on the blue-handled deer vases - were only
made during the period when the great ceramicist Tang Ying ( ߢ ᐅ೫Ὂⳉⅲ˖̖̊㡲ᾫῙྐᆘ᧴ྐࣰˮ䢲̖͠㡲̩
⩹ 1682-1756) was supervisor of the imperial kilns. If this is the ໝ⦰̏ໝ䢮ڭ ⦰ ໝ䢯ⅲ⽖ި൓૨ǐ
case, then it would follow that these vases must have been made
in or before 1756. In addition, Professor Peter Lam has conducted 㠛ᑞ㐝ᇟܕ⁅ॼ̖㡲ᓁᕩⅲ᷂㐤ໝͰ䢲ഹᕖˏ̮
detailed research into the form of reign marks during the Qianlong
Ւ͔ⅲ⛪♚ǐ㏩ໝϜ⊝②㧩⍷䢲❡㕲˖ᾫῙྐ㐞
reign, and the reign mark on the current vase and others in the
ᓣ൶᥅ⅲ˖̊ྼ⁅䢮ଫⳇ⡩Ⅾ㶏ബ䢯䢲ӆ⿉ᑞ㡦
blue-handled group accords with the style which Lam denotes
‘style 6’ (Peter Y.K. Lam, ‘Towards a Dating Framework for ⁅૯ສߢ⩹䢮 ⦰ ໝ䢯਋ካྼ⒋ᕩ㟢ǐ⩮
Qianlong Imperial Porcelain’, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic ᵁଫ᢬䢲םۿᑃႲ㐝ᇟⅮ㶏ബᅠᒶ᷂㐤ᑞ ໝ

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