QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

The present vase, with its shape inspired by ancient archaic bronze hu, well reflects the innovative spirit exercised by artisans on archaistic works of art of the 18th century. The kui dragon-and- phoenix medallions featured on this vase are a characteristic Qing interpretation of the abstract scrolling phoenix motifs found on Shang and Zhou archaic bronze vessels, such as a Western Zhou bronze gui cast with confronted spiralling phoenixes, excavated in Shaanxi province; and a Western Zhou you with a band of scrolling kui motifs on the body, excavated in Anhui province, both illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji - 4 - Bronze, Beijing, 1990, pls. 211 and 179 respectively. While on most archaic bronze prototypes the main decorative motifs are depicted against a dense geometric or leiwen ground, the medallions on the current vase are reserved on a diamond diaper ground enclosing florettes, which relate closely to the diaper grounds found on carved lacquer wares from the Yuan to Qing period. This attractive vase is thus a representative example of 18th century works of art on which influences from various media and periods converge and transform into a distinct Qing style.