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Lot Essay
With the technical advances and virtuosity of porcelain production during the Qianlong period, potters from the official kilns were able to experiment with different methods and techniques to satisfy the emperor’s penchant for the curious and archaic. Although the idea of porcelain imitating other materials was pioneered by the potters of the late Kangxi and Yongzheng periods, it was during the Qianlong reign that this technique reached its zenith, and the present pair of vases is no exception. From its decorative style the vases largely took their inspiration from vessels that were produced in repousse metalwork, although the stylised kui dragons and cicada motifs are in imitation of those on early bronzes, such as those collected in the Imperial palace by Emperor Qianlong. A line drawing of a closely related hu-shaped bronze vessel, dating to the Han dynasty, was published in the Xiqing Xujian, ‘Inspection of Antiques-1st Supplement’ (fig. 1). This publication was a compilation of early period bronzes collected in the imperial palace, and appeared in its woodblock form in 1755 and published under the auspices of the Siku Quanshu, ‘The Imperial Manuscript Library’.
There appears to be only one other identical example, in
the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Gu Taoci Ziliao Xuazncui, juan 2, Beijing, 2005, p. 253, no. 223 (fig. 2). Other closely-related examples are known such as the large celadon vase from the W.T. Walters Collection, decorated with the same moulded bands and loop handles, illustrated by S. Bushell, Oriental Ceramic Art, 1896, fig. 13. Another smaller vase with moulded archaistic phoenix handles and moulded kui dragons on a green-enamelled ground is illustrated in Kangxi Yongzheng Qianlong, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 394, no. 75 (fig. 3). Two other comparable vases of this moulded design but enamelled in turquoise are known; both of these are of hu-shape and decorated with moulded Shou characters. The first, a gift from the Beijing Palace Museum given to the Yunnan Provincial Museum is illustrated in Art & Collection, 2003:2, p. 63, no. 125; and the other was sold at Christie’s New York, 23 March 2012, lot 2112.
There appears to be only one other identical example, in
the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Gu Taoci Ziliao Xuazncui, juan 2, Beijing, 2005, p. 253, no. 223 (fig. 2). Other closely-related examples are known such as the large celadon vase from the W.T. Walters Collection, decorated with the same moulded bands and loop handles, illustrated by S. Bushell, Oriental Ceramic Art, 1896, fig. 13. Another smaller vase with moulded archaistic phoenix handles and moulded kui dragons on a green-enamelled ground is illustrated in Kangxi Yongzheng Qianlong, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 394, no. 75 (fig. 3). Two other comparable vases of this moulded design but enamelled in turquoise are known; both of these are of hu-shape and decorated with moulded Shou characters. The first, a gift from the Beijing Palace Museum given to the Yunnan Provincial Museum is illustrated in Art & Collection, 2003:2, p. 63, no. 125; and the other was sold at Christie’s New York, 23 March 2012, lot 2112.