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Lot Essay
During the Qianlong period, as porcelain was a medium that was relatively easy to control and decorated to high standards of imperial quality, a variety of porcelain wares were produced simulating other materials such as hardstones, cloisonné enamels, wood, bronze, and in this case, lacquer. For a discussion on the virtuosity of the Chinese potters during the Qianlong period in simulating other materials in porcelain, see Soame Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1971, p. 67.
Compare two very similar hat stands with a six-character gilt Qianlong seal mark decorated with the attributes of the Eight Immortals and famille rose spandrels, one published in Catalog of the Special Exhibition of K’ang-hsi, Yung-cheng, and Ch’ien-lung Porcelain Ware from the Ch’ing Dynasty in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, p. 139, no. 112, and the other in The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum: The Chinaware Volume - The Second Part, Shenyang, 2008, pp. 188-189.
It can be suggested that the present lot was a source of inspiration for an almost identical Jiaqing-marked piece in the Chinese National Museum, published in Geng Dongsheng ed, Studies of the Collections of the National Museum of China: Qing Dynasty Ceramics, Shanghai, 2006, no. 132.
The Qianlong Emperor appears to be a great admirer of the skill that was required to create complicated pieces that were reticulated and revolved. Hat stands were, therefore, ideal media for potters to display their virtuosity. A hat stand decorated with openwork dragons is held in the National Palace Museum and published in Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the Ch’ien-lung Reign, Taipei, 2008, pp. 212-213, no. 75. For two famille rose hat stands of different design, see Qing Porcelain of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Periods from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pp. 428-429, pls. 110 and 111.
For other examples of Qianlong imitation-lacquer porcelain wares, refer to a begonia-shaped porcelain tray in the Shenyang Palace Museum Collection, illustrated in The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum: The Chinaware Volume - The Second Part, Shenyang, 2008, p. 191.
Compare two very similar hat stands with a six-character gilt Qianlong seal mark decorated with the attributes of the Eight Immortals and famille rose spandrels, one published in Catalog of the Special Exhibition of K’ang-hsi, Yung-cheng, and Ch’ien-lung Porcelain Ware from the Ch’ing Dynasty in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, p. 139, no. 112, and the other in The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum: The Chinaware Volume - The Second Part, Shenyang, 2008, pp. 188-189.
It can be suggested that the present lot was a source of inspiration for an almost identical Jiaqing-marked piece in the Chinese National Museum, published in Geng Dongsheng ed, Studies of the Collections of the National Museum of China: Qing Dynasty Ceramics, Shanghai, 2006, no. 132.
The Qianlong Emperor appears to be a great admirer of the skill that was required to create complicated pieces that were reticulated and revolved. Hat stands were, therefore, ideal media for potters to display their virtuosity. A hat stand decorated with openwork dragons is held in the National Palace Museum and published in Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the Ch’ien-lung Reign, Taipei, 2008, pp. 212-213, no. 75. For two famille rose hat stands of different design, see Qing Porcelain of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Periods from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pp. 428-429, pls. 110 and 111.
For other examples of Qianlong imitation-lacquer porcelain wares, refer to a begonia-shaped porcelain tray in the Shenyang Palace Museum Collection, illustrated in The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum: The Chinaware Volume - The Second Part, Shenyang, 2008, p. 191.