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Lot Essay
Only one other lacquer vase of this design is known, an almost identical vase was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 November 2004, lot 1000, and illustrated in Christie’s 20 Years in Hong Kong, 1986-2006: Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Highlights, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 309 (fig. 1). Few others can rival the present lot for its imposing stature and opulent decoration which combines archaism with the distinctive pseudo-rococo style of dense floral motifs prevalent in the mid-Qing period.
This vase compares very closely with a porcelain counterpart, a spectacular famille rose yellow-ground baluster vase of very similar shape, size and floral motifs, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 April 2001, lot 555 (fig. 2). It is highly likely that one of these two vases was made to emulate the other in a different medium. In both cases, the elaborate foliate scroll decoration has been intricately rendered and because of the density of the design, conveys a sense of horror vacui, a characteristic element of the 18th-century rococo style.
The lacquer decoration on the present vase is rarely seen on such a massive vase, compare a three-colour lacquer lobed vase of a similar size also decorated with two gilt-bronze handles and archaistic lappets sold at Christie’s New York, 18-19 September 2014, lot 1088. This type of design is more often found on lacquer pieces on a much smaller scale. For example, the lotus scroll design can be found on a Qianlong-marked circular box and cover, illustrated in Carved Lacquer in the Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1985, pl. 356; while pls. 324 and 325 illustrate two vases with archaistic motifs of phoenix and lappet panels.
Lacquer vases as large as the present lot are extremely rare. Compare a few examples which are nearly as large, a tianqiuping with dragons in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated ibid., pl. 306; and a bottle vase with landscape panels from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated in Hai-wai Yi-chen, Chinese Art in Overseas Collections - Lacquerware, Taipei, 1987, pl. 166.
This vase compares very closely with a porcelain counterpart, a spectacular famille rose yellow-ground baluster vase of very similar shape, size and floral motifs, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 April 2001, lot 555 (fig. 2). It is highly likely that one of these two vases was made to emulate the other in a different medium. In both cases, the elaborate foliate scroll decoration has been intricately rendered and because of the density of the design, conveys a sense of horror vacui, a characteristic element of the 18th-century rococo style.
The lacquer decoration on the present vase is rarely seen on such a massive vase, compare a three-colour lacquer lobed vase of a similar size also decorated with two gilt-bronze handles and archaistic lappets sold at Christie’s New York, 18-19 September 2014, lot 1088. This type of design is more often found on lacquer pieces on a much smaller scale. For example, the lotus scroll design can be found on a Qianlong-marked circular box and cover, illustrated in Carved Lacquer in the Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1985, pl. 356; while pls. 324 and 325 illustrate two vases with archaistic motifs of phoenix and lappet panels.
Lacquer vases as large as the present lot are extremely rare. Compare a few examples which are nearly as large, a tianqiuping with dragons in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated ibid., pl. 306; and a bottle vase with landscape panels from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated in Hai-wai Yi-chen, Chinese Art in Overseas Collections - Lacquerware, Taipei, 1987, pl. 166.