.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The current vase belongs to a group of lavishly crafted items made in Guangzhou for tribute to the Qing Court. The two characters da ji, repeated on either side of the vase, can be translated as "great luck," and convey an auspicious wish for the owner. The double gourd or bottle gourd is also rich in symbolism, and is associated with fertility and longevity.
Cut-glass embellishment was frequently used on tribute objects made in Guangzhou during the 18th century. See a clock inset with a shou character in clear and ruby-red cut glass illustrated by X. Yang and C. Zhu, Secret World of the Forbidden City: Splendors From China's Imperial Palace, Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2000, p. 55. See, also, p. 54, for a mid-Qing dynasty example of a 'ribbon-tied' ruby-red glass-inlaid and painted enamel double-gourd vase featuring the characters da ji and mounted as a mechanical fan. A painted enamel double-gourd vase, also featuring the characters da ji amidst leafy scroll, dated to the Qianlong period, was included in the exhibition Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court, Palace Museum of Art Gallery, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1987, p. 83, no. 43.
Compare, also, a Qianlong period clock sold in our Hong Kong rooms, The Imperial Sale, 29 May 2007, lot 1392. Similarly inlaid in cut glass with the characters da ji, the clock features a similar type of floral medallion on a gilt, leafy scroll ground as on the current lot.
Cut-glass embellishment was frequently used on tribute objects made in Guangzhou during the 18th century. See a clock inset with a shou character in clear and ruby-red cut glass illustrated by X. Yang and C. Zhu, Secret World of the Forbidden City: Splendors From China's Imperial Palace, Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2000, p. 55. See, also, p. 54, for a mid-Qing dynasty example of a 'ribbon-tied' ruby-red glass-inlaid and painted enamel double-gourd vase featuring the characters da ji and mounted as a mechanical fan. A painted enamel double-gourd vase, also featuring the characters da ji amidst leafy scroll, dated to the Qianlong period, was included in the exhibition Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court, Palace Museum of Art Gallery, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1987, p. 83, no. 43.
Compare, also, a Qianlong period clock sold in our Hong Kong rooms, The Imperial Sale, 29 May 2007, lot 1392. Similarly inlaid in cut glass with the characters da ji, the clock features a similar type of floral medallion on a gilt, leafy scroll ground as on the current lot.