QIANLONG (1736-95)

Details

A LARGE CHINESE CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL MOONFLASK
QIANLONG (1736-95)
Decorated to the compressed sides with large multi-coloured chrysanthemums in various stages of bloom springing up from a ground with morning glories, lingzhi, and other small blooms, all before angular rocky outcrops repeated on both sides, with applied gilt-bronze stylised phoenix handles flanking the cylindrical neck
23 in. (58.2 cm.) high

Provenance

Acquired from Barry Sainsbury, London.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Cloisonné enamel moonflasks are surprisingly rare. The form, with two large circular 'canvases', permitted the craftsman greater ease to design complex decorative motifs. Compare with one decorated with rocks and peonies illustrated by Claudia Brown, Chinese Cloisonné, The Clague Collection, Phoenix Art Museum, 1980, pl. 46. Two smaller examples are included in the National Palace Museum exhibition, Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, 1999, and illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 65, designed with a scene from the "Ode on the Red Cliff" (46 cm. high); and no. 66 with a depiction of spring cultivation (46.8 cm. high).

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