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Lot Essay
Compare to a vase similarly decorated with two hexafoil cartouches but on a pink ground with an additional character Zhen following the reign mark on the gilt base, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29 May 2013, lot 2051 and illustrated in Reverence and Perfection: Magnificent Imperial Cloisonne Enamels from a Private European Collection, Hong Kong, 2013, no. 42.
The additional inscription seen on some Qing cloisonne enamel pieces may appear as a single number between one and five or as an obscure character defining the vessel's usage and category. The extra character is also seen on some imperial glass wares and believed by some scholars to be a serial number from the Chinese classic Qianziwen, 'The One Thousand Word Essay', with a strong connection to the Imperial Workshops (refer to Elegance and Radiance, Grandeur in Qing Glass, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000, p. 312).
The additional inscription seen on some Qing cloisonne enamel pieces may appear as a single number between one and five or as an obscure character defining the vessel's usage and category. The extra character is also seen on some imperial glass wares and believed by some scholars to be a serial number from the Chinese classic Qianziwen, 'The One Thousand Word Essay', with a strong connection to the Imperial Workshops (refer to Elegance and Radiance, Grandeur in Qing Glass, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000, p. 312).