38 cm. (15 in.) high

The ovoid body with high shoulders rising from a recessed circular base to a waisted neck ending in a lipped rim, painted in bright famille rose enamels with the Eight Buddhist Emblems interspersed evenly between stylised lotus blossoms and intertwined amidst leafy scrolls, all outlined in gold and reserved on a rich turquoise ground imitating cloisonné, the base gilt-decorated with a six-character zhuanshu seal mark.The present lot exhibits the complexity and elegance of enamel decoration which is the epitome of the imperial style that reached its height during the reign of the Qianlong emperor. With the technical advances and virtuosity of porcelain production during the Qianlong period, potters from the official kilns were able to experiment with different techniques to satisfy the emperor's penchant for the curious and archaic. The current lot belongs to a group of vessels commissioned by the Qianlong emperor which were created to imitate cloisonné enamel. Qianlong was particularly fond of cloisonné work which he revived on a grand scale after a period of disregard under the Yongzheng emperor. Although the idea of imitating other materials through porcelain had existed well-before the 18th century, the craftsmen of the Qianlong period advanced the technique to a completely different level of perfection, sometimes creating pieces that were difficult to distinguish from the actual medium they were simulating. The painter of the present piece has successfully imitated the effect of gilt wires by outlining the famille rose enamelled pattern in gilt, where the wires separating the cloisons of different enamels were mirrored by finely-painted golden lines.Compare a vase with famille rose decoration outlined in gilt above a turquoise ground in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Porcelain with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, cat.no.119.Provenance:A European private collection, acquired from United Kingdom

Price estimate:
HKD: 4,200,000 - 4,800,000
USD: 538,500 - 615,400

Auction Result:
HKD: 5,074,000