AN UNUSUAL LARGE CLOISONNE ENAMEL FIGURE OF A MYTHICAL BEAST

LATE QIANLONG/JIAQING PERIOD, LATE 18TH-EARLY 19TH CENTURY

Details

AN UNUSUAL LARGE CLOISONNE ENAMEL FIGURE OF A MYTHICAL BEAST
LATE QIANLONG/JIAQING PERIOD, LATE 18TH-EARLY 19TH CENTURY
The amusing creature shown standing with large head turned to the side and jaws open to expose the long red tongue, with a pair of polychrome striped horns, wings extending back from the front haunches and domed, tufted tail, the separately made head and body joined by a narrow collar hung with a tassel, all in red, blue, yellow, white, black and turquoise enamel and with gilt wire hair markings throughout
26½ in. (67.3 cm.) long

Provenance

Spink & Co., London, circa 1935.

Lot Essay

Large cloisonné enamel animals are quite rare and are more likely to represent buddhistic lions rather than qilin. A large cloisonné enamel figure of a lion with similar collar joining the neck and the body is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 43 - Metal Bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, p. 167, no. 159 and a large qilin, p. 168, no. 160. See, also, the pair of large cloisonné and champlevé enamel figures of qilin from the C. Ruxton and Audrey B. Love Collection sold in these rooms, 20 October 2004, lot 610.

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