Lot Essay
Previously sold in these Rooms, 20 March 1990, lot 679.
The Fonthill Heirlooms Collection was formed by Alfred Morrison during the Nineteenth Century. It included a large quantity of porcelain purchased from Lord Loch of Drylaw brought back to Britain after the sacking of the Yuanmingyuan in 1860.
It is noteworthy that where Qianlong-period famille rose coloured-ground vases occur, they are made with fancy handles, this is especially recurrent in the case of lime green and the present example is one of the most elaborate manifestations. For other examples, cf. a vase sold in these Rooms, 1 May 1995, lot 673, with bat handles suspending lingzhi sprigs; a vase with elephant-head handles sold in these Rooms, 30 October 1995, lot 757; and a vase offered in Hong Kong, 28 April 1992, lot 186, with 'gate-lintel' handles. Similarly, the shapes of the vases themselves are usually eccentric, belonging to the more flamboyant group of Qianlong wares which owe little to tradition but demonstrate contemporary taste.
(US$70,000-80,000)
The Fonthill Heirlooms Collection was formed by Alfred Morrison during the Nineteenth Century. It included a large quantity of porcelain purchased from Lord Loch of Drylaw brought back to Britain after the sacking of the Yuanmingyuan in 1860.
It is noteworthy that where Qianlong-period famille rose coloured-ground vases occur, they are made with fancy handles, this is especially recurrent in the case of lime green and the present example is one of the most elaborate manifestations. For other examples, cf. a vase sold in these Rooms, 1 May 1995, lot 673, with bat handles suspending lingzhi sprigs; a vase with elephant-head handles sold in these Rooms, 30 October 1995, lot 757; and a vase offered in Hong Kong, 28 April 1992, lot 186, with 'gate-lintel' handles. Similarly, the shapes of the vases themselves are usually eccentric, belonging to the more flamboyant group of Qianlong wares which owe little to tradition but demonstrate contemporary taste.
(US$70,000-80,000)