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Lot Essay
The present vase and cover is formed in a jar shape favoured among Qing imperial porcelains, with straight sides rising to a rounded shoulder, a straight neck, and a neatly finished circular foot. It is surmounted by a helmet-shaped lid crowned with a pair of persimmons, a witty and auspicious design flourish that serves as the visual focus of the piece.
The body is enveloped in a soft pink ground and richly enamelled in famille rose, with four large scrolling lotus blooms providing the structural framework. Each flower supports a stylised shou (longevity) character, while the surrounding space is animated with auspicious emblems including bats, gourds, and ruyi, conveying blessings, long life, and unbroken succession. The dense composition and luxuriant palette reflect the ornate and opulent style that characterises Qing court enamel decoration at its zenith.
In Qing palace archives, this form is referred to as a shishi ruyi gai guan, or “Everything Auspicious Covered Jar,” a term that plays on the homophony between the word shi (persimmon) and the idea of auspicious outcomes in every matter. The paired persimmon finials, both decorative and symbolic, give the jar its name and lend it unique charm.
Imperial records from the Daoguang period document only four instances of this jar type produced at the imperial kilns between the third and thirteenth years of the reign (1823 to 1833), each presented as tribute ware under official supervision. Of these, only two individual examples, each from a different recorded pair, are preserved in the Palace Museum collection. The present jar, complete with its original cover, represents a work of exceptional rarity and historical significance.
The body is enveloped in a soft pink ground and richly enamelled in famille rose, with four large scrolling lotus blooms providing the structural framework. Each flower supports a stylised shou (longevity) character, while the surrounding space is animated with auspicious emblems including bats, gourds, and ruyi, conveying blessings, long life, and unbroken succession. The dense composition and luxuriant palette reflect the ornate and opulent style that characterises Qing court enamel decoration at its zenith.
In Qing palace archives, this form is referred to as a shishi ruyi gai guan, or “Everything Auspicious Covered Jar,” a term that plays on the homophony between the word shi (persimmon) and the idea of auspicious outcomes in every matter. The paired persimmon finials, both decorative and symbolic, give the jar its name and lend it unique charm.
Imperial records from the Daoguang period document only four instances of this jar type produced at the imperial kilns between the third and thirteenth years of the reign (1823 to 1833), each presented as tribute ware under official supervision. Of these, only two individual examples, each from a different recorded pair, are preserved in the Palace Museum collection. The present jar, complete with its original cover, represents a work of exceptional rarity and historical significance.