Plus Qing Porcelain
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Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
YONGZHENG
1
1731 pair of Peach Bowls
2015 SOLD for HK$ 90M by Sotheby's
Chinese porcelain is experiencing a restart of its development during the Kangxi period with the use of enamel painting. Multicolored pieces were already spectacular under the Ming but the new technique named falangcai enables to replace pure colors by exquisite shades highly appealing to Chinese taste.
The appointment by the Yongzheng emperor in the sixth year of his reign of Tang Ying as superintendent of the workshops of Jingdezhen is one of the most outstanding events in art history, paving the way for a total diversification of Chinese porcelain in terms of shapes, themes, colors, sizes, either imitating the antique or bringing some wonderful innovation.
The palette of colors becomes complete with the control of pink, happening around that time. The fencai meaning powdery colors applies to the Imperial yangcai porcelains decorated in opaque enamels. Its latest achievement was the mastery of the pink. The yangcai, often referred as famille rose, invites the artists to express all the delicate shades of peach blossoms, a symbol of happy longevity, and to improve the velvety look of the ripe fruit.
The Yongzheng emperor loved the symbols of immortality and happiness such as the peach, which provided also a great opportunity to use the brightest fencai palette in the fruits, flowers, leaves and branches. The peach is a great excuse to use all the hues of the fencai palette in the fruits, flowers, leaves and branches.
The figure of the peach is standardized in the ninth year of his reign, 1731 CE, when the emperor commissions a series of peach bowls in pairs as symbols of the Eternal Peace.
The original pairs were often separated but the production is so homogeneous that a collector was able to constitute a new pair, sold for HK $ 90M from a lower estimate of HK $ 40M by Sotheby's on April 7, 2015, lot 112.
Each piece 13 cm in diameter is decorated with auspicious symbols. This pair with the mark of Yongzheng was probably made for the celebration of a birthday of the emperor himself. The six peaches and five bats on each bowl bring the most pleasant greetings to the emperor.
The branch with fruit, leaves and two shades of flowers begins at the base and extends over the entire inner surface without being interrupted through the rim of the bowl, offering a full size picture whatever the angle at which the piece is held.
This sensational feature meets a specific theme request by the emperor, recorded on the registers of the imperial workshops on the 19th day of the 4th month of the ninth year of Yongzheng, 1731 in our calendar. The long branch is named changzhi which is homophonic to the other meaning of Eternal Governance.
Only five other pairs of Yongzheng yangcai changzhi bowls and a single bowl are recorded. Two of the five pairs are separated.
The appointment by the Yongzheng emperor in the sixth year of his reign of Tang Ying as superintendent of the workshops of Jingdezhen is one of the most outstanding events in art history, paving the way for a total diversification of Chinese porcelain in terms of shapes, themes, colors, sizes, either imitating the antique or bringing some wonderful innovation.
The palette of colors becomes complete with the control of pink, happening around that time. The fencai meaning powdery colors applies to the Imperial yangcai porcelains decorated in opaque enamels. Its latest achievement was the mastery of the pink. The yangcai, often referred as famille rose, invites the artists to express all the delicate shades of peach blossoms, a symbol of happy longevity, and to improve the velvety look of the ripe fruit.
The Yongzheng emperor loved the symbols of immortality and happiness such as the peach, which provided also a great opportunity to use the brightest fencai palette in the fruits, flowers, leaves and branches. The peach is a great excuse to use all the hues of the fencai palette in the fruits, flowers, leaves and branches.
The figure of the peach is standardized in the ninth year of his reign, 1731 CE, when the emperor commissions a series of peach bowls in pairs as symbols of the Eternal Peace.
The original pairs were often separated but the production is so homogeneous that a collector was able to constitute a new pair, sold for HK $ 90M from a lower estimate of HK $ 40M by Sotheby's on April 7, 2015, lot 112.
Each piece 13 cm in diameter is decorated with auspicious symbols. This pair with the mark of Yongzheng was probably made for the celebration of a birthday of the emperor himself. The six peaches and five bats on each bowl bring the most pleasant greetings to the emperor.
The branch with fruit, leaves and two shades of flowers begins at the base and extends over the entire inner surface without being interrupted through the rim of the bowl, offering a full size picture whatever the angle at which the piece is held.
This sensational feature meets a specific theme request by the emperor, recorded on the registers of the imperial workshops on the 19th day of the 4th month of the ninth year of Yongzheng, 1731 in our calendar. The long branch is named changzhi which is homophonic to the other meaning of Eternal Governance.
Only five other pairs of Yongzheng yangcai changzhi bowls and a single bowl are recorded. Two of the five pairs are separated.
#AuctionUpdate: Top prices for Chinese Works Of Art continue with two HK$89.8m/US$11.6m Famille-Rose 'Peach' Bowls pic.twitter.com/dKTQyI6v78
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) April 7, 20152
1732 Shuimo Bowl
2015 SOLD for HK$ 85M by Christie's
At the end of the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, the introduction of enamel in the techniques of Chinese porcelain pleasantly increases the color palette. The imperial chemists continue developing this falangcai during the reign of his successor the Yongzheng Emperor.
The new emperor is highly demanding in terms of refinement. The best pieces are exclusively executed for his personal use after a severe selection.
The greatest achievement of the porcelain according to the taste of the Yongzheng Emperor is the shuimo falangcai. The enamel is deposited like an ink wash. This new technique provides the same quality of drawing than on paper, plus the brightness of the porcelain.
The shuimo enables to copy the traditional themes of the Song period. When in addition a calligraphed poem is evoking the pleasure of fragrance, art becomes so perfect that only the emperor himself is worthy to deserve it.
The shuimo can offer a very small contrast between the pure pale color of the prunus blossom and the perfect white of the porcelain. This ultimate achievement of the falangcai is developed during the ninth year of Yongzheng and is also identified as sepia enamels. On the fourth month of the tenth year, 1732 in our calendar, the excellence of the shuimo falangcai is recognized by an imperial decree.
Pieces in shuimo falangcai are extremely rare. On December 2, 2015, Christie's sold for HK $ 85M a bowl 10 cm in diameter, lot 2888. It is decorated with branches and blossoms of prunus along with bamboos. Both symbolize winter that anticipates the expectations of spring : the blossom of the prunus hatches before the arrival of the leaf and bamboo is unchanged throughout the seasons.
The decoration is complemented by a poem in an antique style of calligraphy that appealed to the emperor and by three enameled seal marks. The bowl carries on its base the imperial four-character mark of the Yongzheng Emperor.
The new emperor is highly demanding in terms of refinement. The best pieces are exclusively executed for his personal use after a severe selection.
The greatest achievement of the porcelain according to the taste of the Yongzheng Emperor is the shuimo falangcai. The enamel is deposited like an ink wash. This new technique provides the same quality of drawing than on paper, plus the brightness of the porcelain.
The shuimo enables to copy the traditional themes of the Song period. When in addition a calligraphed poem is evoking the pleasure of fragrance, art becomes so perfect that only the emperor himself is worthy to deserve it.
The shuimo can offer a very small contrast between the pure pale color of the prunus blossom and the perfect white of the porcelain. This ultimate achievement of the falangcai is developed during the ninth year of Yongzheng and is also identified as sepia enamels. On the fourth month of the tenth year, 1732 in our calendar, the excellence of the shuimo falangcai is recognized by an imperial decree.
Pieces in shuimo falangcai are extremely rare. On December 2, 2015, Christie's sold for HK $ 85M a bowl 10 cm in diameter, lot 2888. It is decorated with branches and blossoms of prunus along with bamboos. Both symbolize winter that anticipates the expectations of spring : the blossom of the prunus hatches before the arrival of the leaf and bamboo is unchanged throughout the seasons.
The decoration is complemented by a poem in an antique style of calligraphy that appealed to the emperor and by three enameled seal marks. The bowl carries on its base the imperial four-character mark of the Yongzheng Emperor.
Christie’s Hong Kong Sales Cycle = HK$ 2.6bn (US$ 340.6m) https://t.co/SaVEjVV1c4 pic.twitter.com/TLj4atsOVa
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) December 2, 20153
Blue and White Dragon Vase
2015 SOLD for HK$ 76M by Sotheby's
The porcelains from the early Qing dynasty were the subject of a successful effort to control all colors. Their great scientists have also extended the range of blue up to a very intense color through a purification of the cobalt.
The availability of all shades of blue restarted the fashion of the blue and white that had made the success of the Yuan and early Ming porcelains, using again traditional forms and themes along with interesting innovations.
On 7 April 2015, Sotheby's sold for HK $ 76M an ovoid vase with tall neck from the Yongzheng period decorated with dragons, 39 cm high, where the blue was intense.
From the same period, a globular vase with a tall neck, 53 cm high in a lighter blue, that had belonged to the collection of President Hoover was sold for $ 5.9M by Bonhams on December 10, 2012.
The availability of all shades of blue restarted the fashion of the blue and white that had made the success of the Yuan and early Ming porcelains, using again traditional forms and themes along with interesting innovations.
On 7 April 2015, Sotheby's sold for HK $ 76M an ovoid vase with tall neck from the Yongzheng period decorated with dragons, 39 cm high, where the blue was intense.
From the same period, a globular vase with a tall neck, 53 cm high in a lighter blue, that had belonged to the collection of President Hoover was sold for $ 5.9M by Bonhams on December 10, 2012.
QIANLONG
1
1739 Dragon Celadon Meiping
2022 SOLD for HK$ 81M by Christie's
The use of celadon glaze imitating the color and transparency of jade was developed in the Ru kilns of the Song when porcelain was already superseding jade for a safe keeping of the liquids to drink.
Celadon is restarted in various shades by the chemists and coupled with high relief decoration in the Yongzheng period through the efforts managed by Tang Ying to mingle ancient and present techniques. An amphora in the fashion of the Tang dynasty was sold for HK $ 140M by Christie's in 2017.
A celadon jar 34 cm high with the imperial mark of Qianlong was sold for HK $ 94M by Sotheby's in 2014. The deep carving features two imperial dragons, one protecting the other like a teacher with pupil, certainly representing Yongzheng and his son Honli, the future Qianlong. The piece had possibly been prepared at the end of Yongzheng's lifetime.
A meiping 33 cm high with the imperial mark of Qianlong uses the same techniques with an even pale sea green celadon glaze. The translucent glaze pools in the recesses of the carving, creating a contrast that heightens the image.
It features three dragons amidst the clouds. The dominating figure is a front face three claw non imperial dragon busy to teach wisdom to the two smaller five claw imperial dragons, meaning that outstanding teachers are not limited to the imperial family. Qianlong's second son of the first rank was born in 1739 CE, which could constitute a terminus post quem for the celebrating meiping. The terminus ante quem would be 1744 CE when the top skills of the Jingdezhen workmen ceased to be solicited.
This piece was sold for HK $ 81M from a lower estimate of HK $ 50M by Christie's on November 29, 2022, lot 2994. It is also narrated in the article prepared by the auction house.
Made in the same designs and techniques as the example above, a 35 cm high meiping with the Qianlong mark is featuring five dragons amid waves. The soft bluish green celadon increases the effect of the crisp carving through the pooling of the glaze on the recesses, as in the other example. This piece in a pristine brilliant and lustrous condition was sold for HK $ 48M by Sotheby's on October 9, 2023, lot 3612.
The dominating three claw dragon is portrayed sinuous and vertical. The other four are imperial, in pairs with one slightly subordinate. The diving teaching dragon holds the sacred pearl in its mouth for transferring its wisdom to one of the pupils.
Celadon is restarted in various shades by the chemists and coupled with high relief decoration in the Yongzheng period through the efforts managed by Tang Ying to mingle ancient and present techniques. An amphora in the fashion of the Tang dynasty was sold for HK $ 140M by Christie's in 2017.
A celadon jar 34 cm high with the imperial mark of Qianlong was sold for HK $ 94M by Sotheby's in 2014. The deep carving features two imperial dragons, one protecting the other like a teacher with pupil, certainly representing Yongzheng and his son Honli, the future Qianlong. The piece had possibly been prepared at the end of Yongzheng's lifetime.
A meiping 33 cm high with the imperial mark of Qianlong uses the same techniques with an even pale sea green celadon glaze. The translucent glaze pools in the recesses of the carving, creating a contrast that heightens the image.
It features three dragons amidst the clouds. The dominating figure is a front face three claw non imperial dragon busy to teach wisdom to the two smaller five claw imperial dragons, meaning that outstanding teachers are not limited to the imperial family. Qianlong's second son of the first rank was born in 1739 CE, which could constitute a terminus post quem for the celebrating meiping. The terminus ante quem would be 1744 CE when the top skills of the Jingdezhen workmen ceased to be solicited.
This piece was sold for HK $ 81M from a lower estimate of HK $ 50M by Christie's on November 29, 2022, lot 2994. It is also narrated in the article prepared by the auction house.
Made in the same designs and techniques as the example above, a 35 cm high meiping with the Qianlong mark is featuring five dragons amid waves. The soft bluish green celadon increases the effect of the crisp carving through the pooling of the glaze on the recesses, as in the other example. This piece in a pristine brilliant and lustrous condition was sold for HK $ 48M by Sotheby's on October 9, 2023, lot 3612.
The dominating three claw dragon is portrayed sinuous and vertical. The other four are imperial, in pairs with one slightly subordinate. The diving teaching dragon holds the sacred pearl in its mouth for transferring its wisdom to one of the pupils.
2
1742 Longquan Vase
2020 SOLD for HK$ 70M by Sotheby's
The double porcelain vase was developed in Longquan kilns 400 to 350 years before Qianlong, in the transition between Yuan and Ming dynasties. The celadon exterior vase is pierced all around to provide visibility onto the inner vase. The potters of Longquan undoubtedly wished to produce prestige pieces for competing with the growing influence of Jingdezhen.
Tang Ying manages to reproduce this double vase which will be identified as a Longquan vase in the imperial archives. The earliest reference for a Qianlong Longquan vase is the presentation of a piece to the emperor by a eunuch for the use of the very prestigious hall of audiences and banquets in the palace. This event happened in the twelfth day of the eighth month of the seventh year of Qianlong, in 1742 CE.
Only one known piece is matching the archives description of this first referred vase. The vase 31.4 cm high overall is pear shaped, surmounted by a neck with two dragon shaped gilt handles. A collar is hanging below the rim. It is made in a sgraffiato incised yangcai except the reticulated part which is celadon. The inner vase is an underglaze blue on white in Xuande style of peaches and florets. The window is intricately carved throughout the perimeter of the lower body.
This vase was sold for £ 44 by Sotheby's in 1954. It has just been rediscovered in a European country house where it had never caught the attention of countless generations of wandering cats and dogs. It was sold for HK $ 70M by Sotheby's on July 11, 2020, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
In 1743 CE, Tang Ying announced in an official report the extremely low yield of the Longquan vases, with a successful production of only nine singles. The emperor agreed to stop this style while suggesting to make a second vase for creating pairs. The vase for the audience hall, which had the most complex shape, was certainly the very first, made before Tang Ying could estimate the technical difficulties. Its pair was probably not made.
Tang Ying manages to reproduce this double vase which will be identified as a Longquan vase in the imperial archives. The earliest reference for a Qianlong Longquan vase is the presentation of a piece to the emperor by a eunuch for the use of the very prestigious hall of audiences and banquets in the palace. This event happened in the twelfth day of the eighth month of the seventh year of Qianlong, in 1742 CE.
Only one known piece is matching the archives description of this first referred vase. The vase 31.4 cm high overall is pear shaped, surmounted by a neck with two dragon shaped gilt handles. A collar is hanging below the rim. It is made in a sgraffiato incised yangcai except the reticulated part which is celadon. The inner vase is an underglaze blue on white in Xuande style of peaches and florets. The window is intricately carved throughout the perimeter of the lower body.
This vase was sold for £ 44 by Sotheby's in 1954. It has just been rediscovered in a European country house where it had never caught the attention of countless generations of wandering cats and dogs. It was sold for HK $ 70M by Sotheby's on July 11, 2020, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
In 1743 CE, Tang Ying announced in an official report the extremely low yield of the Longquan vases, with a successful production of only nine singles. The emperor agreed to stop this style while suggesting to make a second vase for creating pairs. The vase for the audience hall, which had the most complex shape, was certainly the very first, made before Tang Ying could estimate the technical difficulties. Its pair was probably not made.
3
Four Seasons Bottle Vase
2010 SOLD for HK$ 140M by Sotheby's
The ancient Chinese art is a continuum, each new work referencing to past shapes and techniques that can go back to antiquity.
Thus, a pair of enameled porcelain bottle vases 19 cm high made in the Imperial workshops and bearing the mark of Qianlong is an example of extreme refinement with a harmonious synthesis of styles.
The spherical body of each piece is decorated with four medallions showing the flowers of the four seasons, in a festival of colors that imitates the supreme Chinese art of the Beijing enamel glass.
The background of the sphere and the tall arched neck display traditional and Western influences by imitating the themes of enameled copper.
The two vases are illustrated with the same flowers under slightly different arrangements. They were listed separately at Sotheby's on October 7, 2010. One of them was sold for HK $ 140M from a lower estimate of HK $ 60M, lot 2123. The other, hampered by a long crack, was sold for HK $ 32M, lot 2124.
Thus, a pair of enameled porcelain bottle vases 19 cm high made in the Imperial workshops and bearing the mark of Qianlong is an example of extreme refinement with a harmonious synthesis of styles.
The spherical body of each piece is decorated with four medallions showing the flowers of the four seasons, in a festival of colors that imitates the supreme Chinese art of the Beijing enamel glass.
The background of the sphere and the tall arched neck display traditional and Western influences by imitating the themes of enameled copper.
The two vases are illustrated with the same flowers under slightly different arrangements. They were listed separately at Sotheby's on October 7, 2010. One of them was sold for HK $ 140M from a lower estimate of HK $ 60M, lot 2123. The other, hampered by a long crack, was sold for HK $ 32M, lot 2124.
4
pair of Double Gourd Vases
2012 SOLD for HK$ 107M by Sotheby's
Promoter of all artistic techniques, the Qianlong emperor had however his preferences both from his personal taste and by the commitment to respect traditions and etiquette.
Yangcai means foreign colors. This technique enables to apply on the porcelains the full range of colors of the European enamels. Named famille-rose in the West, it was considered by the emperor as the way to create the best porcelain of all time, beyond the Ru and Guan of the Song.
The Chinese imperial court favors all kinds of symbols and the bright yellow is assigned to the person of the emperor, perhaps referring to the sun. Early in his reign, Qianlong requests some yangcai porcelain wares with yellow ground.
Limited to a space reserved for the emperor in the imperial palace, these prestigious yellow porcelains are not available for export. Their shapes are varied according to the usual practice in Jingdezhen workshops.
In the best traditions of the court, they are decorated with many symbols using all the colors in the yangcai palette and difficult to translate to the foreign observer because these puns are based on homophony. Many auspices are gathered on a same piece when it is intended as a birthday gift to the Emperor, unfortunately undated.
On October 9, 2012, Sotheby's sold for HK $ 107M from a lower estimate of HK $ 40M a sumptuous pair of double gourd vases 18 cm high in saturated colors.
By its monumental size 75 cm high, a yangcai vase on yellow ground is considered as a technical feat unique of its kind. Its dense decoration in harmonious colors is mainly floral, with vegetal arabesques interspersed with many other figurative motifs. It was sold for HK $ 51M by Sotheby's on April 7, 2015, lot 3608.
Yangcai means foreign colors. This technique enables to apply on the porcelains the full range of colors of the European enamels. Named famille-rose in the West, it was considered by the emperor as the way to create the best porcelain of all time, beyond the Ru and Guan of the Song.
The Chinese imperial court favors all kinds of symbols and the bright yellow is assigned to the person of the emperor, perhaps referring to the sun. Early in his reign, Qianlong requests some yangcai porcelain wares with yellow ground.
Limited to a space reserved for the emperor in the imperial palace, these prestigious yellow porcelains are not available for export. Their shapes are varied according to the usual practice in Jingdezhen workshops.
In the best traditions of the court, they are decorated with many symbols using all the colors in the yangcai palette and difficult to translate to the foreign observer because these puns are based on homophony. Many auspices are gathered on a same piece when it is intended as a birthday gift to the Emperor, unfortunately undated.
On October 9, 2012, Sotheby's sold for HK $ 107M from a lower estimate of HK $ 40M a sumptuous pair of double gourd vases 18 cm high in saturated colors.
By its monumental size 75 cm high, a yangcai vase on yellow ground is considered as a technical feat unique of its kind. Its dense decoration in harmonious colors is mainly floral, with vegetal arabesques interspersed with many other figurative motifs. It was sold for HK $ 51M by Sotheby's on April 7, 2015, lot 3608.
5
Dragon Gourd Vase
2009 SOLD for RMB 83M by Hanhai
A Qianlong gourd vase with ruyi ears was sold for RMB 83M by Hanhai in November 2009. It is decorated with red dragons over blue and white.
6
Peach Tianqiuping
2011 SOLD for HK$ 90M by Sotheby's
Under the Qing, the improved contact with the West gave the idea to increase the range of colors, applied in enamel on a pure white background. The bottle vase is perfect for creating asymmetric rotating scenes of unparalleled sophistication, maybe even inimitable.
When the Qianlong emperor succeeded his father Yongzheng, the fencai had already reached its higher maturity but the diversity of the forms generated new masterpieces. The branches of the peach wrap around the tall neck of the tianqiuping, a pot-bellied vase whose name means celestial globe.
The colors of birds, fish, fruits, flowers, exacerbated the skill of Chinese artists and chemists. A vase with peaches 51 cm high bearing the mark of Qianlong was sold for HK $ 90M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2011, lot 15. Branches, blossoms and especially the nine fruits shown at different stages of ripeness are pretexts for exquisite color variations.
Another tianqiuping 55 cm high was sold for HK $ 63M by Sotheby's on October 7, 2015, lot 3610. The high popularity of this theme (now without bats) prevents to define a detailed date for both tianqiuping within the very long reign of Qianlong.
When the Qianlong emperor succeeded his father Yongzheng, the fencai had already reached its higher maturity but the diversity of the forms generated new masterpieces. The branches of the peach wrap around the tall neck of the tianqiuping, a pot-bellied vase whose name means celestial globe.
The colors of birds, fish, fruits, flowers, exacerbated the skill of Chinese artists and chemists. A vase with peaches 51 cm high bearing the mark of Qianlong was sold for HK $ 90M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2011, lot 15. Branches, blossoms and especially the nine fruits shown at different stages of ripeness are pretexts for exquisite color variations.
Another tianqiuping 55 cm high was sold for HK $ 63M by Sotheby's on October 7, 2015, lot 3610. The high popularity of this theme (now without bats) prevents to define a detailed date for both tianqiuping within the very long reign of Qianlong.
7
1769 Hundred Deer and Several Cranes
2018 SOLD for € 16.2M by Sotheby's
The theme of the hundred deer is a rebus bringing auspices, as often in Chinese art. One hundred does not express a real quantity but a multitude. One hundred deer evokes by homophony the success of a long career. The hair is of varied color except for one beast that is white for a homophony between one and one hundred.
Two hu shaped globular vases with the hundred deer, bearing the imperial mark of the Qianlong emperor, were sold by Christie's : for € 2M on December 14, 2011, and for € 4.15M on December 13, 2017.
On these two vases 45 cm high, fallow deer are distributed with quiet occupations in a landscape. The two pieces are in yangcai, the technology transferred to Jingdezhen from the falangcai of the foreigners that brought to Chinese porcelain its most sublime colors.
The too lush decor does not seem in the taste of the beginning of the reign but the production is certainly not too late. Jingdezhen was not motivated to maintain for long the difficult and expensive technology of the yangcai, reserved for rare special orders from the imperial court.
A 28 cm high pear shaped vase with a long neck surmounted by a bulb was brought by a customer to the Parisian office of Sotheby's, cleanly stored in a shoebox. It bears the imperial mark of Qianlong and offers beside the deers other auspices such as a double frieze of ruyi and a few cranes, birds whose white feathers are a symbol of old age and longevity.
This theme in this shape is extremely rare. The vase kept at the Musée Guimet also has ruyi but no crane. Such a rarity is not surprising within the extreme variety of the Qianlong porcelains. What makes the specimen brought to Sotheby's so exceptional is the splendid conservation of the yangcai enamels.
The imperial archives twice recorded this mixed theme in yangcai with ruyi, fallow deer and cranes, during the 30th and 34th years of the reign, 1765 and 1769 CE. In the video shared by Sotheby's their expert Nicolas Chow indicates the 34th year as its preferred date. This vase was sold for € 16.2 from a lower estimate of € 500K by Sotheby's on June 12, 2018, lot 1.
Two hu shaped globular vases with the hundred deer, bearing the imperial mark of the Qianlong emperor, were sold by Christie's : for € 2M on December 14, 2011, and for € 4.15M on December 13, 2017.
On these two vases 45 cm high, fallow deer are distributed with quiet occupations in a landscape. The two pieces are in yangcai, the technology transferred to Jingdezhen from the falangcai of the foreigners that brought to Chinese porcelain its most sublime colors.
The too lush decor does not seem in the taste of the beginning of the reign but the production is certainly not too late. Jingdezhen was not motivated to maintain for long the difficult and expensive technology of the yangcai, reserved for rare special orders from the imperial court.
A 28 cm high pear shaped vase with a long neck surmounted by a bulb was brought by a customer to the Parisian office of Sotheby's, cleanly stored in a shoebox. It bears the imperial mark of Qianlong and offers beside the deers other auspices such as a double frieze of ruyi and a few cranes, birds whose white feathers are a symbol of old age and longevity.
This theme in this shape is extremely rare. The vase kept at the Musée Guimet also has ruyi but no crane. Such a rarity is not surprising within the extreme variety of the Qianlong porcelains. What makes the specimen brought to Sotheby's so exceptional is the splendid conservation of the yangcai enamels.
The imperial archives twice recorded this mixed theme in yangcai with ruyi, fallow deer and cranes, during the 30th and 34th years of the reign, 1765 and 1769 CE. In the video shared by Sotheby's their expert Nicolas Chow indicates the 34th year as its preferred date. This vase was sold for € 16.2 from a lower estimate of € 500K by Sotheby's on June 12, 2018, lot 1.
