A FINE AND RARE FAMILLE ROSE MINIATURE PORCELAIN VASE WITH SCHOLAR’S

Estimated Value:

3.000 € - 5.000 €

Result:

incl. Premium and VAT

Description:

China, iron-red Jiaqing four-character seal mark and period
H. 8,2 cm
Viennese diplomatic collection, collected in Beijing between 1920 and 1930 by repute, sold Nagel, 10.11.2008, lot 469a and bought by the present owner
While large, impressive objects can quickly catch the attention of the viewer; the beauty of miniature pieces lies in the extraor dinary level of craftsmanship and amazing detail achieved by the artist who has applied his masterly skills onto a much smaller surface. The Qianlong emperor a was an enthusiastic collector of all kinds of curios and miniature artefacts that were con tained in specially crafted treasure boxes which inspired his successors. The interior of the treasure boxes were divided into small compartments that safely held the objects. This vase would have been placed in a treasure box with other miniature ob jects made in various mediums and precious materials. Miniature artefacts had the advantage of being easy to hold and pri vately enjoy, as well as being easy to collect. They were stored in the private quarters of the Inner Palace in the Forbidden City where Qianlong and his family members were able to take pleasure in them at their leisure. For an example of a treasure box f illed with miniature pieces see one illustrated in Masterpieces of Chinese Miniature Crafts in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1971, pl.7 For examples of exquisite miniature vessels see three mallet-form vases painted in famille-rose enamels with lotus scroll design published ibid., pls. 25-27; two other miniature bottles painted in the falangcai palette, one from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, decorated with rural scenes, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porce lains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 36, and the other with the 'mother and child' motif, from the J.M. Hu Family collection and included in the exhibition Min Chiu Society Thirtieth Anniversary Exhi bition, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1990, cat. no. 167. For a similar Qianlong Imperial miniature vase, see Christie’s London, 15.5.2018, lot 14 - Very minor traces of age

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