An extremely rare imperial Beijing enamel vase and cover

Estimated Value:

40.000 € - 60.000 €

Result:

660.450 € incl. Premium and VAT

Description:

China, Yongzheng four-character mark and of the period
H. 16,5 cm
This elegant, slightly flattened baluster-shaped vase with lid comes from the Imperial workshops in Beijing and represents one of the finest examples of enamel art from the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor (1723-1735). The surface is masterfully painted in bright enamel colours and shows an elaborately draped cloth wrapped tightly around the body. On one side, fanciful pairs of insects and bats appear next to peach motifs on a pink background with a geometric pattern, framed by blue next to large flowers and foliage in the finest enamel painting. At the bottom in an oval in light red four-character mark Yongzheng framed by a light blue border next to foliage and flowers on a light green ground. The coloured lid with tulip and rose petals and foliage on a yellow background.
European private collection, family-owned before 1970, originally collected in the diplomatic service in China in the second half of the 19th century - Old collection label no. 83 and a further label to base
Painted enamels were known as ‘foreign enamels’. The technique was developed in Europe in Flanders at the borders between Belgium, France and Netherlands. In late 15th century the town Limoges, in west central France, became the centre for enamel production. As the maritime trade flourished between East and West, enamels were introduced to China via the trading port Canton (Guangzhou). The Qing court then set up Imperial ateliers to produce enamelled metal wares in the Kangxi period. In the early period, due to insufficient technical knowledge, only small vessels were made, with limited palette and murky colours. By the late Kangxi period, a wider range of brighter and purer colours became available, resulting in clearer decorations and a higher level of technical sophistication. This piece is one of the most refined objects of imperial enamel production in Beijing and reflects the technical perfection and artistic wealth of the Qing period. Two almost identical Qianlong vases with covers are documented in the 'Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 5 (Beijing, 2011, no. 141 & 142). Another, larger Qianlong example (35 cm high) can be found there under no. 140. The only very similar but smaller (12,1 cm) Yongzheng example can be found in the National Palace Museum Taipei (Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasty, 1999, no. 108), whereby the vase offered here was painted even more finely and in greater detail. The technique of enamel painting was originally brought to the Chinese court by European Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century. The Kangxi Emperor then founded his own workshops in Beijing, whose processes were further developed into the 18th century. Emperor Qianlong specifically brought artisans from Südchina to further perfect the technique. Interestingly, however, this piece is not modelled on the West, but refers to a Japanese example: the traditional furoshiki, a cloth binding for wrapping objects. The depiction of the knotted cloth was later also transferred to porcelain, cloisonné and glass - for example in a famous glass vase from the collection of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, shown in 2005 in the exhibition China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795 (Royal Academy of Arts, London, cat. no. 99). Very minor wear to gilt bronze rims, very good condition

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