QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

According to Qing court archives, in the 45th year of the Qianlong reign, corresponding to 1780, a large number of cloisonné enamel bowls and dishes decorated with the auspicious inscription wanshou wujiang 萬壽無疆 (boundless longevity) were produced for the celebrations of the Qianlong Emperor’s 70th birthday. The imperial banquet was held in the Taihedian 太和殿, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the most solemn throne hall within the Forbidden City and the site of the court’s grandest ceremonial occasions. In addition to the emperor’s own table, numerous other tables were arranged and laid with abundant quantities of food. Dishes not consumed by the emperor were subsequently bestowed upon his consorts, princes, officials, and even attendants, who were required to partake only after the emperor had eaten.

A set of 27 closely related bowls is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and illustrated in Capolavori dalla Città Proibita: Qianlong e la sua corte, Rome, 2007, pp. 132–133, no. 68.1–27. Another pair was sold at Christie’s New York, 20 March 2001, lot 53. Bowls of this type are known in varying sizes, including examples in the Clague Collection, the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, and six in the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Smaller bowls of the same design, with deeper sides, were also sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, including a pair sold on 28 November 2006, lot 1678, and a single bowl bearing a Qianlong mark, sold on 29 May 2013, lot 2073.