A RARE AND IMPORTANT IMPERIAL CLOISONNÉ VASE AND COVER 'LEI'

Estimated Value:

60.000 € - 100.000 €

Result:

45.325 € incl. Premium and VAT

Description:

China, Qianlong/ Jiaqing period
H. 45 cm
Baluster-shaped, the body and foot are embellished with crenellated ormolu edges. The central part is decorated with a wide register of taotie masks, kui dragons, bi discs, stylised fabulous animals and scrolls. The shoulder is embellished with four chimera masks in relief, alternating with gilded and chased nails also in relief, set between two taotie friezes. The rim of the neck is decorated with incised Greek foliage. The openwork lid is composed of an elaborate tangle of gilded, embossed and chased copper scrolls.
Private collection in Dresden, acquired before 1990 according to the owner. Old collection numbering on the base
A cloisonné-Lei vessel of the same size and almost the same design as the present example is in the collection of the Musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris (fig. 1), illustrated by Beatrice Quette (ed.) in Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Bard Graduate Center, New York, 2011, p. 99, fig. 5.31. The great similarity in design and colouring may indicate that they were made as a pair during the reign of the Qianlong emperor in order to be joined together. Presumably the counterpart to the present lot from an old Belgian private collection was sold at Christie's Paris, 12 December 2018, lot 108.
The emperors of the Qing dynasty shared a fervent passion for antique bronzes and commissioned contemporary vessels made in a similar style. The emperors Kangxi (1662-1722), Yongzheng (1723-35) and Qianlong (1736-95) in particular were important collectors of antiques and great art patrons. Like his predecessor Song Huizong, the Qianlong Emperor commissioned numerous catalogues in which pieces from his collection were illustrated, including the Xi Qing gu jian (Mirror of Antiquities in the Xi Qing [Hall]), compiled in 1749, in which antique bronzes from the imperial collection were listed.
In the 1860s, Chinese works of art were very popular in Europe. Cloisonnéenamelled vessels in particular were a major source of inspiration for European decorative art. The Lei des Musée des Arts décoratifs was donated in 1923 by Mrs Alexandrine Louise Grandjean, who died in 1911, together with a large number of pieces. Her entire collection essentially dates from the late 19th century. Like Mrs Grandjean's vase, the present Lei vase was probably brought to Europe at the beginning of the 20th century - Few small filled losses to enamel, the cover with minor repairs, one gilt finial lost, in general in good condition

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