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Lot Essay
The two decorative techniques involved are known as qiangjin, where the incised outlines are etched in gold denoting the outlines of the design; and tianqi (filled-in) where different lacquers colours had been applied to enhance details and contrast against the coloured ground.
It is very rare to find the combination of phoenix and crane motifs on qiangjin and tianqi-decorated lacquer wares. A Jiajing-marked qiangjin and tianqi-decorated circular tray decorated on the exterior with phoenix alternating with cranes in flight was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 April 2001, lot 645. This combination was also adopted for porcelains, such as a Jiajing blue and white ‘phoenix and cranes’ vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 35 - Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (II), Hong Kong, 2000, p. 96, no. 89, and one such vase sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 June 2016, lot 3320.
It is very rare to find the combination of phoenix and crane motifs on qiangjin and tianqi-decorated lacquer wares. A Jiajing-marked qiangjin and tianqi-decorated circular tray decorated on the exterior with phoenix alternating with cranes in flight was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 April 2001, lot 645. This combination was also adopted for porcelains, such as a Jiajing blue and white ‘phoenix and cranes’ vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 35 - Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (II), Hong Kong, 2000, p. 96, no. 89, and one such vase sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 June 2016, lot 3320.