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Lot Essay
This cloisonné enamel box decorated with the wufu pengshou (“Five Blessings Supporting Longevity”) motif is an exemplary work of eighteenth-century imperial enameling. The design is both elegant and ingenious: at the center of the cover, a circular shou (longevity) character serves as the focal point, around which five bats, symbols of the Five Blessings, fly amid multicolored auspicious clouds, forming the classic theme of “Five Blessings Encircling Longevity,” an auspicious wish for enduring fortune and long life. The sides of the box are further adorned with cloud-and-bat patterns, echoing the main motif on the cover.
The box is set against a rich turquoise blue ground and embellished with enamels in red, green, white, yellow, and other tones. The cloud scrolls flow gracefully, the bats appear in varied dynamic poses, and the gold filigree wires defining each form lend the piece a sense of imperial splendor. Cloisonné craftsmanship reached its zenith during the Qianlong reign, and this box exemplifies the rigorous standards of the imperial workshops and their mastery of filigree and polychrome enameling.
The box is set against a rich turquoise blue ground and embellished with enamels in red, green, white, yellow, and other tones. The cloud scrolls flow gracefully, the bats appear in varied dynamic poses, and the gold filigree wires defining each form lend the piece a sense of imperial splendor. Cloisonné craftsmanship reached its zenith during the Qianlong reign, and this box exemplifies the rigorous standards of the imperial workshops and their mastery of filigree and polychrome enameling.