A RARE PAIR OF CLOISONNE ENAMEL DOUBLE-GOURD VASES

QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

Details

A RARE PAIR OF CLOISONNE ENAMEL DOUBLE-GOURD VASES
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)
Each decorated allover with a dense pattern of fruiting and flowering leafy vines hung with an abundance of red, yellow and white double gourds, all within multicolored feather bands, the waist encircled by a band of yellow flowers and the neck with a band of pendent white double gourds and green leaves, the foot encircled by a band of petal lappets, all in red, yellow, dark blue, white and shades of green against a turquoise ground
14 in. (37.5 cm.) high (2)

Lot Essay

With its numerous seeds and swelling form, the gourd was a natural symbol of fertility, an association which is reinforced by its extensive network of vines and tendrils, suggesting continuity and generations of descendants. Double-gourd-form vessels with designs of further superimposed gourds were a popular staple at the Court.

No other similar pair of cloisonné enamel vases appears to have been published. Compare, however, the Qianlong-marked example of more slender double-gourd shape decorated with gourds illustrated by H. Brinker and A. Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, The Asia Society Galleries, New York, 1989, no. 294.

More from Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections

View All