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Lot Essay
The cylindrical body of the vase is delicately moulded with four lotus-petal panels, two enclosing long poetic inscriptions that describe the scenes painted on the alternating panels- one depicting flowering prunus tree and peonies, the other showing vibrant multi-coloured chrysanthemum on leafy stems, all set against a ground of stylised bats, lotus and flower sprays in colour enamels and underglaze blue. The slightly waisted neck is similarly decorated with lotus blossoms and flanked by a pair of iron-red chilong handles with gilded highlights.
The present lot belongs to an iconic group of porcelains that pair poetic inscriptions with corresponding pictorial scenes; such artistic tradition was promoted by the Yongzheng Emperor and enthusiastically continued during the Qianlong period. The Qianlong Emperor was an accomplished scholar and prolific poet; the two long inscriptions on the present vase are poems composed while he was still Prince Bao, before he ascended the throne, and are recorded in Leshantang quanji [Complete Works from the Hall of Delight in Goodness], vol. 35 (fig. 1).
The present lot is very rare and sophisticated in its decorative technique. Similar vessels often feature enamelled floral motifs on a coloured ground, the present vase incorporates underglaze blue into the famille rose palette, set against a pristine white porcelain ground. This unusual combination creates a striking visual contrast and remarkable depth, allowing the elegant calligraphy and vibrant floral panels to stand out with exceptional clarity. Furthermore, the base features an underglaze-blue Qianlong seal mark, rather than the more typical iron-red mark.
Compare a Qianlong-marked vase decorated with phoenixes in famille rose and underglaze blue, flanked by ruyi handles, in the collection of the Palace Museum, Taipei, collection no.: guci011732N (fig. 2). For another related Qianlong famille rose vase inscribed with imperial poetry alongside landscape scenes, bearing an iron-red seal mark, see a square vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pp. 110-111, no. 96 (fig. 3). For a more similarly shaped vase with no handles, decorated with eight panels against a sgraffito ground and bearing an iron-red mark, previously in the collection of Yamanaka & Co., sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5 April 2017, lot 3626. A much larger turquoise-ground falangcai vase with an iron-red Qianlong mark, formerly in the Wang Xing Lou Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2022, lot 2726 (fig. 4).
The present lot belongs to an iconic group of porcelains that pair poetic inscriptions with corresponding pictorial scenes; such artistic tradition was promoted by the Yongzheng Emperor and enthusiastically continued during the Qianlong period. The Qianlong Emperor was an accomplished scholar and prolific poet; the two long inscriptions on the present vase are poems composed while he was still Prince Bao, before he ascended the throne, and are recorded in Leshantang quanji [Complete Works from the Hall of Delight in Goodness], vol. 35 (fig. 1).
The present lot is very rare and sophisticated in its decorative technique. Similar vessels often feature enamelled floral motifs on a coloured ground, the present vase incorporates underglaze blue into the famille rose palette, set against a pristine white porcelain ground. This unusual combination creates a striking visual contrast and remarkable depth, allowing the elegant calligraphy and vibrant floral panels to stand out with exceptional clarity. Furthermore, the base features an underglaze-blue Qianlong seal mark, rather than the more typical iron-red mark.
Compare a Qianlong-marked vase decorated with phoenixes in famille rose and underglaze blue, flanked by ruyi handles, in the collection of the Palace Museum, Taipei, collection no.: guci011732N (fig. 2). For another related Qianlong famille rose vase inscribed with imperial poetry alongside landscape scenes, bearing an iron-red seal mark, see a square vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pp. 110-111, no. 96 (fig. 3). For a more similarly shaped vase with no handles, decorated with eight panels against a sgraffito ground and bearing an iron-red mark, previously in the collection of Yamanaka & Co., sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5 April 2017, lot 3626. A much larger turquoise-ground falangcai vase with an iron-red Qianlong mark, formerly in the Wang Xing Lou Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2022, lot 2726 (fig. 4).