QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN IRON RED AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

Ceramicists from the official workshops were encouraged to experiment, and the technique of porcelain imitating other materials found favor with the emperor Qianlong, who was fascinated with the curious and archaic. The designs outlined in gilt against turquoise on the present bowl produce the effect of porcelain imitating cloisonné enamel. In cloisonné enamel, raised lines are applied to create ‘cloisons’ on the body of a metal vessel which are then filled in with colored glass paste and fired. On the present vase, the gilt outlines enclose enameled colors in simulation of the cloisonné effect.
The style of the famille rose decoration on this vase is similar to that seen on another turquoise-ground vase of different shape, also with iron-red Qianlong seal mark, in the Qing Court collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 39 - Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 135, pl. 118. Like the Palace vase, the decoration on the present vase includes lotus sprays, iron-red bats, and borders of petal lappets and ruyi-heads. A vase of similar shape decorated in a similar manner on a lime-green ground, with an iron-red Jiaqing mark, is illustrated by G. Avitabile in From the Dragon’s Throne, London, 1987, p. 33, pl. 23.