Qianlong (reign 1735-1796 CE)
See also : China Chinese porcelain Qing porcelain Chinese art Jewels II Jade Bird Dragon
Chronology : 18th century 1740-1749 1750-1759 1760-1769 1933
Chronology : 18th century 1740-1749 1750-1759 1760-1769 1933
early Qianlong - A Pair of Double Gourds
2017 SOLD for £ 14.7M including premium
The porcelains of double gourd type are developed under the reign of the Yongzheng emperor. They reach a great elegance with his successor Qianlong : the much smaller upper bulb is often linked by two handles to the globular lower part. When the technique used for the decoration is among the most refined, these pieces are kept in high esteem by the connoisseurs. The remainder of this essay is limited to vases from the Qianlong period.
The vase without handles that sold for HK $ 252M including premium at Sotheby's on October 7, 2010 over a lower estimate of HK $ 30M was an exceptional piece with its pale yellow background, its height of 40 cm, its long cylindrical neck above the upper bulb and its sgraffiato incisions.
Among the vases with handles let us consider a blue and white 23 cm high with a pattern of lotus leaves, sold for HK $ 24M including premium by Christie's on December 1, 2010.
Pairs are extremely rare. One of them recently discovered in an English country house will be sold by Christie's in London on May 9, lot 99. Each vase has the same shape and size as the blue and white example described above.
In the same style of decoration, the details of both vases in that pair are different. They are painted with flowers and butterflies in yangcai enamels in an accumulation of auspices and symbols of seasons that was probably prepared for the birthday of some prestigious people. For the rebus so enjoyed at the imperial court the butterfly means 'repetition' by homophony, doubling the message of the auspice and the prediction of longevity.
The ground porcelain of this pair is pure white according to a usual practice during the Yongzheng period. Considering that a pink ground has been appreciated under Qianlong for pieces of the same theme, it is possible that this pair bearing his imperial mark was made early in his reign.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's :
The vase without handles that sold for HK $ 252M including premium at Sotheby's on October 7, 2010 over a lower estimate of HK $ 30M was an exceptional piece with its pale yellow background, its height of 40 cm, its long cylindrical neck above the upper bulb and its sgraffiato incisions.
Among the vases with handles let us consider a blue and white 23 cm high with a pattern of lotus leaves, sold for HK $ 24M including premium by Christie's on December 1, 2010.
Pairs are extremely rare. One of them recently discovered in an English country house will be sold by Christie's in London on May 9, lot 99. Each vase has the same shape and size as the blue and white example described above.
In the same style of decoration, the details of both vases in that pair are different. They are painted with flowers and butterflies in yangcai enamels in an accumulation of auspices and symbols of seasons that was probably prepared for the birthday of some prestigious people. For the rebus so enjoyed at the imperial court the butterfly means 'repetition' by homophony, doubling the message of the auspice and the prediction of longevity.
The ground porcelain of this pair is pure white according to a usual practice during the Yongzheng period. Considering that a pink ground has been appreciated under Qianlong for pieces of the same theme, it is possible that this pair bearing his imperial mark was made early in his reign.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's :
£2 Million Qianlong Emperor vases found by an expert during routine eval., will be sold at #Christies May 9thhttps://t.co/1vTNRboDsG pic.twitter.com/OcZxtHkx91
— ePaiLive (@ePaiLive) May 2, 2017
1743 Qianlong reticulated vase
2010 UNPAID at £ 43M plus a buyer's premium of £ 8.6M, at Bainbridges
Link to 2012 report by The Telegraph before the sale was cancelled.
1743 Technical Achievements from Jingdezhen
2018 SOLD for HK$ 150M including premium
In 1728 CE, Tang Ying is appointed by the Yongzheng emperor as the Superintendent of the Imperial porcelain produced at Jingdezhen. He spends several years observing the best practices of the potters. One of his first major successes is the development of the yangcai, offering a less expensive substitute to the Imperial City's falangcai that remains the high end.
These first years are experimental, with pieces of all shapes. Qianlong who succeeds Yongzheng in 1735 CE is just as demanding as his father. To please him, they must constantly bring novelties that match his ambitious role as Son of Heaven, accumulating the styles of all dynasties and integrating the new European trends.
In the early 1740s Tang Ying's expertise in Jingdezhen has no limits. The most complicated pieces are technological syntheses that require a long succession of firings at the risk of a low yield.
In a memorandum submitted to Qianlong in 1743 CE, Tang Ying apologizes for the small amount of units produced in the new style of double vase, only nine. The inner part is enclosed in the outer vase with a distance of about 3 to 4 cm between their walls. The outer vase is pierced by large holes of various elegant shapes that allow the peeping to the inner part. The exterior is decorated with the same profusion as more classical imperial pieces.
Qianlong does not request the impossible. He authorizes to complete in pairs those models that had been produced in single pieces before suspending this technique sine die.
A reticulated vase with pairs of fishes surfaced in Middlesex in 2010. 40 cm high, it mixes archaic, Song, Buddhist and rocaille inspirations, juxtaposing the classic celadon and the modern yangcai in a yellow ground with sgraffiato. The inner wall is a blue and white in Ming style. After 30 minutes of bidding, Bainbridges's hammer fell at £ 43M, £ 51.6M including the premium, but the payment failed and the sale was canceled.
In 2010 nobody had considered the catalog of the exhibition in New York in 1905 of a Japanese collection where its pairing piece had been photographed and described. This vase has just resurfaced and is estimated HK $ 50M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 3, lot 3001. It differs from the Middlesex specimen by a rarer variant of the reign mark and so may be the master item produced for that pair.
These first years are experimental, with pieces of all shapes. Qianlong who succeeds Yongzheng in 1735 CE is just as demanding as his father. To please him, they must constantly bring novelties that match his ambitious role as Son of Heaven, accumulating the styles of all dynasties and integrating the new European trends.
In the early 1740s Tang Ying's expertise in Jingdezhen has no limits. The most complicated pieces are technological syntheses that require a long succession of firings at the risk of a low yield.
In a memorandum submitted to Qianlong in 1743 CE, Tang Ying apologizes for the small amount of units produced in the new style of double vase, only nine. The inner part is enclosed in the outer vase with a distance of about 3 to 4 cm between their walls. The outer vase is pierced by large holes of various elegant shapes that allow the peeping to the inner part. The exterior is decorated with the same profusion as more classical imperial pieces.
Qianlong does not request the impossible. He authorizes to complete in pairs those models that had been produced in single pieces before suspending this technique sine die.
A reticulated vase with pairs of fishes surfaced in Middlesex in 2010. 40 cm high, it mixes archaic, Song, Buddhist and rocaille inspirations, juxtaposing the classic celadon and the modern yangcai in a yellow ground with sgraffiato. The inner wall is a blue and white in Ming style. After 30 minutes of bidding, Bainbridges's hammer fell at £ 43M, £ 51.6M including the premium, but the payment failed and the sale was canceled.
In 2010 nobody had considered the catalog of the exhibition in New York in 1905 of a Japanese collection where its pairing piece had been photographed and described. This vase has just resurfaced and is estimated HK $ 50M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 3, lot 3001. It differs from the Middlesex specimen by a rarer variant of the reign mark and so may be the master item produced for that pair.
The pair to the famous ‘Bainbridge vase’ – sensationally knocked down at £43m in 2010 but later sold for half of that sum after the buyer failed to pay – has to come to @Sothebys:https://t.co/RmkAXYiHnM pic.twitter.com/i8m8Q0Vjcp
— AntiquesTradeGazette (@ATG_Editorial) August 14, 2018
1747 The Grand Parade of Qianlong
2011 SOLD 22 M€ including premium
Qianlong was only 24 when he became emperor of China. For establishing his authority, he has prepared a huge military parade in the best tradition of the Qing Dynasty. It will be held early in the fourth year of his reign.
The objective is achieved: the power of the young emperor is not disputed. To the delight of current enthusiasts and historians, Qianlong was to become the most important art collector and patron of all time.
At the tenth year of his reign, Qianlong wants to fix the memory of this great revue. He orders the artist Jin Kun to realize four huge scrolls on silk with the help of the official court painters. Fifteen months later (1747 in our calendar), the four works are ready to be assembled in their presentation boxes.
These paintings show the festivities in a chronological order. The second, 68 x 1757 cm, is kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing. The third, 68 cm x 1550, was sold HK $ 68M including premium by Sotheby's on October 8, 2008. The catalog of that sale indicated that the other two were lost.
A miracle happened. No. I do not believe in miracles.
The market for ancient Chinese art has been so boosted for two years (indeed from after the scandal of the bronzes of the Saint-Laurent - Bergé collection) that the treasures come out of the attics: the fourth scroll is retrieved!
With the same height as the others, it is the longest: the incredible multitude of troops occupies 18 m of image. A primer including testimonials and seals increases this length to 24 m, on a diameter of 12 cm when rolled.
This treasure is estimated € 2M, for sale by Marc Labarbe in Toulouse on March 26.
POST SALE COMMENT
The scroll was sold € 17.8 million before fees, 22 million including premium.
The significant difference in price with the auction of 2008 is mainly due to the cultural awakening of China for the most outstanding treasures of its history.
This new price is perfectly understandable and deserved.
The objective is achieved: the power of the young emperor is not disputed. To the delight of current enthusiasts and historians, Qianlong was to become the most important art collector and patron of all time.
At the tenth year of his reign, Qianlong wants to fix the memory of this great revue. He orders the artist Jin Kun to realize four huge scrolls on silk with the help of the official court painters. Fifteen months later (1747 in our calendar), the four works are ready to be assembled in their presentation boxes.
These paintings show the festivities in a chronological order. The second, 68 x 1757 cm, is kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing. The third, 68 cm x 1550, was sold HK $ 68M including premium by Sotheby's on October 8, 2008. The catalog of that sale indicated that the other two were lost.
A miracle happened. No. I do not believe in miracles.
The market for ancient Chinese art has been so boosted for two years (indeed from after the scandal of the bronzes of the Saint-Laurent - Bergé collection) that the treasures come out of the attics: the fourth scroll is retrieved!
With the same height as the others, it is the longest: the incredible multitude of troops occupies 18 m of image. A primer including testimonials and seals increases this length to 24 m, on a diameter of 12 cm when rolled.
This treasure is estimated € 2M, for sale by Marc Labarbe in Toulouse on March 26.
POST SALE COMMENT
The scroll was sold € 17.8 million before fees, 22 million including premium.
The significant difference in price with the auction of 2008 is mainly due to the cultural awakening of China for the most outstanding treasures of its history.
This new price is perfectly understandable and deserved.
1756-1759 Come Back of Rat and Rabbit
2009 15.7 M€ including premium, UNPAID
Today, we are not just talking about auctions, but also on international politics. In September, just after the announcement of the sale of the Yves Saint-Laurent collection, Chinese lobbying groups have opposed the sale of two fountain ornaments. The echoes of the press show that these groups are increasingly active.
Twelve bronzes represented the Chinese zodiac in the main fountain at the palace of Qianlong in Beijing. They were the heads of the animals, and water flowed from their mouths at defined times. These figures are neither of Chinese or Western art, but a combination of the two: they were made on the plans of the Jesuit missionary Giuseppe Castiglione between 1756 and 1759.
This all disappeared at the looting of the palace by the Anglo-French troops in 1860, making today the opponents of the sale stating that the bronzes were stolen. Five statues were returned to China, five of them are not localized, and rat and rabbit are each estimated € 8 million in the sale of Christie's and Pierre Bergé in Paris from 23 to 25 February.
This price was announced, but curiously they are now the only lots in this three day sales catalog for which potential buyers must have the estimate confirmed by Christie's. I give you my personal opinion. Such pressure can intimidate a potential bidder. Christie's is perhaps in the process of seeking a buyer whose personality satisfies all parties. This is what Sotheby's did in 2007, when they removed the horse head from an announced sale. Stanley Ho bought it then privately for $ 69.1 MHK and donated it to the Chinese government.
The rat head is 30 cm high. The rabbit is higher ... through his ears!
POST SALE COMMENT
As prepared, rat and rabbit were presented separately. They were sold, both at the same price, € 15.7 million including premium.
The sale of these lots has not finished generating comments. I made two predictions, they have proved false. Buyers were not intimidated. Christie's and Pierre Bergé achieved the process without being intimidated, and therefore without recourse to a private transaction.
We must not forget that the activity that makes the difference between an international auction group and a national or local auction houses is their ability to convince buyers. The work done by Christie's to sell these two bronzes was probably huge.
These were the last two bronzes of the Imperial fountain to be available on the market. This has certainly increased their value.
In addition, the Chinese themselves, with their protests republished by the international press, have shown their interest in this group of works. Their price would certainly have been much lower if the dispute had not occurred.
It is something of a spectacular example which reinforces my premise: the price of an item at auction is a reliable metrics of the cultural importance given to this object at a dedicated time.
Now, five heads are lost. It should be very exciting if these excellent results push some of them to appear on the market.
2013 COMMENT
The travel back to China of rat and rabbit has just been decided.
The Chinese buyer of 2009 immediately said that he would not pay, and Mr. Bergé had kept the bronzes. They later entered into the ownership of Mr. Pinault who now presents them to China. Christie's facilitated this operation.
Both bronzes are shown in the story shared by Bloomberg.
Twelve bronzes represented the Chinese zodiac in the main fountain at the palace of Qianlong in Beijing. They were the heads of the animals, and water flowed from their mouths at defined times. These figures are neither of Chinese or Western art, but a combination of the two: they were made on the plans of the Jesuit missionary Giuseppe Castiglione between 1756 and 1759.
This all disappeared at the looting of the palace by the Anglo-French troops in 1860, making today the opponents of the sale stating that the bronzes were stolen. Five statues were returned to China, five of them are not localized, and rat and rabbit are each estimated € 8 million in the sale of Christie's and Pierre Bergé in Paris from 23 to 25 February.
This price was announced, but curiously they are now the only lots in this three day sales catalog for which potential buyers must have the estimate confirmed by Christie's. I give you my personal opinion. Such pressure can intimidate a potential bidder. Christie's is perhaps in the process of seeking a buyer whose personality satisfies all parties. This is what Sotheby's did in 2007, when they removed the horse head from an announced sale. Stanley Ho bought it then privately for $ 69.1 MHK and donated it to the Chinese government.
The rat head is 30 cm high. The rabbit is higher ... through his ears!
POST SALE COMMENT
As prepared, rat and rabbit were presented separately. They were sold, both at the same price, € 15.7 million including premium.
The sale of these lots has not finished generating comments. I made two predictions, they have proved false. Buyers were not intimidated. Christie's and Pierre Bergé achieved the process without being intimidated, and therefore without recourse to a private transaction.
We must not forget that the activity that makes the difference between an international auction group and a national or local auction houses is their ability to convince buyers. The work done by Christie's to sell these two bronzes was probably huge.
These were the last two bronzes of the Imperial fountain to be available on the market. This has certainly increased their value.
In addition, the Chinese themselves, with their protests republished by the international press, have shown their interest in this group of works. Their price would certainly have been much lower if the dispute had not occurred.
It is something of a spectacular example which reinforces my premise: the price of an item at auction is a reliable metrics of the cultural importance given to this object at a dedicated time.
Now, five heads are lost. It should be very exciting if these excellent results push some of them to appear on the market.
2013 COMMENT
The travel back to China of rat and rabbit has just been decided.
The Chinese buyer of 2009 immediately said that he would not pay, and Mr. Bergé had kept the bronzes. They later entered into the ownership of Mr. Pinault who now presents them to China. Christie's facilitated this operation.
Both bronzes are shown in the story shared by Bloomberg.
1760 The Official Portrait of a Concubine
2015 SOLD for HK$ 137M including premium
The Kangxi Emperor favored the contact with Europe. By the 49th year of his reign, the court accepted a suggestion of the Jesuits to invite a painter. The candidature of the lay brother Giuseppe Castiglione was accepted.
Castiglione arrived in Beijing in the 54th year of Kangxi, 1715 in our calendar. The skills of this young man aged 27 appealed to the emperor and he became a court painter under the name Lang Shining. He never left the imperial court. In his outstanding career that lasted half a century without harm or conflict, he assimilated the traditional techniques of Chinese graphic art without forgetting his original training.
The court painters were considered as imperial officials and did not sign their works. Lang Shining and his studio are credited with near certainty for the paintings that incorporate such Western features like perspective or like the shades that enhance the realism of the face.
The official portraits of the Emperor and his favorite Ladies are a tradition in the Chinese court. In the first year of Qianlong, a scroll shows the Emperor and the Empress aside with no less than eleven consort spouses.
One of these eleven concubines remained a favorite until her death in the 25th year of Qianlong, 1760 of our calendar, when this former commoner had just reached the highest position behind the Empress. On October 7 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 3202 her portrait where she is designated in a calligraphy by the emperor's hand under the name of her ultimate dignity, Imperial Noble Consort Chunhui.
According to the imperial tradition, the Lady is sitting on a magnificent throne. She is wearing a robe of highest luxury and a long chain necklace. The face is young and smooth for this woman who died at the age of 47, but the original portrait with the other concubines had certainly served as a modello. The press release of September 1 announces an expected price in excess of HK $ 60M.
The artwork for sale by Sotheby's is a hanging scroll in ink and colors on silk 198 x 123 cm. It is shared on Wikimedia (see below).
On 27 May 2012, Bonhams sold for HK $ 40M including premium a portrait up the waist of the same favorite, oil on paper 55 x 42 cm.
Castiglione arrived in Beijing in the 54th year of Kangxi, 1715 in our calendar. The skills of this young man aged 27 appealed to the emperor and he became a court painter under the name Lang Shining. He never left the imperial court. In his outstanding career that lasted half a century without harm or conflict, he assimilated the traditional techniques of Chinese graphic art without forgetting his original training.
The court painters were considered as imperial officials and did not sign their works. Lang Shining and his studio are credited with near certainty for the paintings that incorporate such Western features like perspective or like the shades that enhance the realism of the face.
The official portraits of the Emperor and his favorite Ladies are a tradition in the Chinese court. In the first year of Qianlong, a scroll shows the Emperor and the Empress aside with no less than eleven consort spouses.
One of these eleven concubines remained a favorite until her death in the 25th year of Qianlong, 1760 of our calendar, when this former commoner had just reached the highest position behind the Empress. On October 7 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 3202 her portrait where she is designated in a calligraphy by the emperor's hand under the name of her ultimate dignity, Imperial Noble Consort Chunhui.
According to the imperial tradition, the Lady is sitting on a magnificent throne. She is wearing a robe of highest luxury and a long chain necklace. The face is young and smooth for this woman who died at the age of 47, but the original portrait with the other concubines had certainly served as a modello. The press release of September 1 announces an expected price in excess of HK $ 60M.
The artwork for sale by Sotheby's is a hanging scroll in ink and colors on silk 198 x 123 cm. It is shared on Wikimedia (see below).
On 27 May 2012, Bonhams sold for HK $ 40M including premium a portrait up the waist of the same favorite, oil on paper 55 x 42 cm.
> 1762 A Mandarin in the Mountains
2018 SOLD for HK$ 147M including premium
The very important inspection trips of the Kangxi emperor had a major role in consolidating the Southern provinces. Isolated regions therein must also join the civilization.
The coastal province of Zhejiang is the subject of a freeing campaign in 1727 CE during the reign of Yongzheng. The Qianlong emperor remains vigilant. During his 27th year, 1762 CE, he appoints as Education Commissioner of Zhejiang for a three-year mission one of his most brilliant mandarins named Qian Weicheng.
Qian's career is a very good example of the extreme and multidisciplinary skills required to the mandarins. Received at the examinations at the age of 23 in the tenth year of Qianlong, he had become as a jurist an important member of the imperial bureaucracy. Poet, calligrapher and artist, he knows how to imitate the ancients. His poetry is pleasant and original.
In the tradition of the Qing imperial travels, Qian executes landscape drawings of the Zhejiang in handscrolls of great length. His view of the Yandang Mountains has been preserved.
On April 3 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a 34 cm high scroll of ten landscapes of Mount Tiantai, for a total length of 4.60 m. It is estimated HK $ 50M, lot 3301.
The drawing without washes is of a topographical accuracy and includes the Buddhist monasteries and some human presence. Yet Qian, who had visited Yandang, did not walk Tiantai personally as his tour plans were each time abandoned due to bad weather. He was probably relying upon pre-existing images to avoid confessing this failure.
Each of the ten views is accompanied by a long descriptive commentary by Qian and by an autograph poem written by Qianlong and dated by him in 1774 CE, two years after the death of the artist. The artwork was removed from the Palace in the early 1920s by the last deposed Qing emperor in an effort to protect the imperial patrimony from looters.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's including the vision of moving grounds often practiced by this auction house.
The coastal province of Zhejiang is the subject of a freeing campaign in 1727 CE during the reign of Yongzheng. The Qianlong emperor remains vigilant. During his 27th year, 1762 CE, he appoints as Education Commissioner of Zhejiang for a three-year mission one of his most brilliant mandarins named Qian Weicheng.
Qian's career is a very good example of the extreme and multidisciplinary skills required to the mandarins. Received at the examinations at the age of 23 in the tenth year of Qianlong, he had become as a jurist an important member of the imperial bureaucracy. Poet, calligrapher and artist, he knows how to imitate the ancients. His poetry is pleasant and original.
In the tradition of the Qing imperial travels, Qian executes landscape drawings of the Zhejiang in handscrolls of great length. His view of the Yandang Mountains has been preserved.
On April 3 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a 34 cm high scroll of ten landscapes of Mount Tiantai, for a total length of 4.60 m. It is estimated HK $ 50M, lot 3301.
The drawing without washes is of a topographical accuracy and includes the Buddhist monasteries and some human presence. Yet Qian, who had visited Yandang, did not walk Tiantai personally as his tour plans were each time abandoned due to bad weather. He was probably relying upon pre-existing images to avoid confessing this failure.
Each of the ten views is accompanied by a long descriptive commentary by Qian and by an autograph poem written by Qianlong and dated by him in 1774 CE, two years after the death of the artist. The artwork was removed from the Palace in the early 1920s by the last deposed Qing emperor in an effort to protect the imperial patrimony from looters.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's including the vision of moving grounds often practiced by this auction house.
1769 Hundred Deer and Several Cranes
2018 SOLD for € 16.2M including premium
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 : € 2M including premium on December 14, 2011 over a lower estimate of € 350K, and € 4.15M including premium on December 13, 2017 over a lower estimate of € 500K.
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 is estimated € 500K for sale by Sotheby's in Paris on June 12, lot 1.
Two hu shaped globular vases with the hundred deer, bearing the imperial mark of the Qianlong emperor, were sold by Christie's : € 2M including premium on December 14, 2011 over a lower estimate of € 350K, and € 4.15M including premium on December 13, 2017 over a lower estimate of € 500K.
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 is estimated € 500K for sale by Sotheby's in Paris on June 12, lot 1.
Qianlong - The Vase with Pheasants
2011 SOLD 200 MHK$
When the Chinese emperor was powerful, he allowed foreign influences to mingle with the Imperial tradition. In the case of Qianlong, watchmaking, for example, has been a real transfer of technology from England and Chinese imports greatly contributed to the success of Swiss production.
The vases, snuff bottles and brushpots made during his reign reach a high degree of perfection. Shapes are Eastern but the subjects and compositions, sometimes, are European.
The enamels with European themes are named Falangcai ("foreign color"). A beautiful porcelain vase of this type is estimated HK $ 180M, for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 7, lot 15. On a white background, its exquisite painting shows a couple of pheasants on a nest. The balance ot the curves between the bottle and its neck is perfect.
It is 20 cm high, bears the Imperial mark and is illustrated in the press release shared by Artdaily.
POST SALE COMMENTS
1
Too expensive. Unsold.
2
Yes it was expensive, but a buyer was tempted. The press release from Sotheby's told that this vase has been sold HK $ 200M privately after the sale.
Traditionally, such announcement includes fees.
The vases, snuff bottles and brushpots made during his reign reach a high degree of perfection. Shapes are Eastern but the subjects and compositions, sometimes, are European.
The enamels with European themes are named Falangcai ("foreign color"). A beautiful porcelain vase of this type is estimated HK $ 180M, for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 7, lot 15. On a white background, its exquisite painting shows a couple of pheasants on a nest. The balance ot the curves between the bottle and its neck is perfect.
It is 20 cm high, bears the Imperial mark and is illustrated in the press release shared by Artdaily.
POST SALE COMMENTS
1
Too expensive. Unsold.
2
Yes it was expensive, but a buyer was tempted. The press release from Sotheby's told that this vase has been sold HK $ 200M privately after the sale.
Traditionally, such announcement includes fees.
Qianlong - The Poem of the Poppies
2018 SOLD for HK$ 170M including premium
The falangcai porcelain from the Qianlong period is extremely rare and very difficult to date. This technique originally developed for the Kangxi emperor in the small Jesuit workshop had survived the Yongzheng reign thanks to Castiglione's perseverance and talent. The white porcelain prepared in Jingdezhen was decorated with the most exquisite colored enamels in that workshop of the imperial palace before the final firing.
Painter on silk, Castiglione had managed to please these three demanding emperors by adding to the traditional Chinese graphic style some elements of great naturalistic details. The Qianlong vase with pheasants in the nest from the Meiyintang collection is a very good example. It was sold for HK $ 200M in post sale by Sotheby's on April 7, 2011.
On October 3 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 1 a Qianlong falangcai bowl 11.8 cm in diameter decorated with poppies. The August 30 press release tells that it is expected above HK $ 200M. Please watch here below the video shared by the auction house.
Directly inspired by the art of Castiglione, this bowl shows on its outer wall poppy blossoms of various colors on long stems bent in all directions by the wind. Like the nest of pheasants, this scene is anchored on a rocky ground. The curved shape and the turned-over rim provide a three-dimensional effect to this drawing that rises to the top of the piece. The interior of the bowl is decorated with fruits of abondance and the imperial mark is in blue enamel.
Qianlong loved literary quotes. The high collar of the pheasant vase is decorated with a poem. Likewise a fourteen-character poem adorns the back side of the poppy bowl at the top of an otherwise blank area.
This poem from the Ming period is directly related to the theme of the bowl. One of the names of the poppy in Chinese is Yu meiren, the Beautiful Yu, in memory of the concubine of an emperor usurper against the Han. When defeat became inevitable, Lady Yu executed for her emperor a languid song while dancing around a sword on which she then pierced herself.
Painter on silk, Castiglione had managed to please these three demanding emperors by adding to the traditional Chinese graphic style some elements of great naturalistic details. The Qianlong vase with pheasants in the nest from the Meiyintang collection is a very good example. It was sold for HK $ 200M in post sale by Sotheby's on April 7, 2011.
On October 3 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 1 a Qianlong falangcai bowl 11.8 cm in diameter decorated with poppies. The August 30 press release tells that it is expected above HK $ 200M. Please watch here below the video shared by the auction house.
Directly inspired by the art of Castiglione, this bowl shows on its outer wall poppy blossoms of various colors on long stems bent in all directions by the wind. Like the nest of pheasants, this scene is anchored on a rocky ground. The curved shape and the turned-over rim provide a three-dimensional effect to this drawing that rises to the top of the piece. The interior of the bowl is decorated with fruits of abondance and the imperial mark is in blue enamel.
Qianlong loved literary quotes. The high collar of the pheasant vase is decorated with a poem. Likewise a fourteen-character poem adorns the back side of the poppy bowl at the top of an otherwise blank area.
This poem from the Ming period is directly related to the theme of the bowl. One of the names of the poppy in Chinese is Yu meiren, the Beautiful Yu, in memory of the concubine of an emperor usurper against the Han. When defeat became inevitable, Lady Yu executed for her emperor a languid song while dancing around a sword on which she then pierced herself.
Qianlong - Steatite Seal with Dragons
2016 SOLD for € 21M including premium by Pierre Bergé et Associés
Qianlong - Anthology of the Four Seasons
2010 SOLD 140 MHK$ including premium
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 will be sold separately at Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 7. One of them is estimated HK $ 60M. The other, hampered by a long crack, is waiting for HK $ 8M.
POST SALE COMMENT
With HK $ 666M for only 13 lots offered, all sold, the JT Tai collection was an exceptional event within the sales of Sotheby's in Hong Kong.
The two vases discussed in my article were sold HK $ 140M and 32M.
Also Qianlong, a yellow ground famille-rose double gourd vase has been sold HK $ 252M. It had been estimated HK $ 30M.
The above results include the premium.
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 will be sold separately at Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 7. One of them is estimated HK $ 60M. The other, hampered by a long crack, is waiting for HK $ 8M.
POST SALE COMMENT
With HK $ 666M for only 13 lots offered, all sold, the JT Tai collection was an exceptional event within the sales of Sotheby's in Hong Kong.
The two vases discussed in my article were sold HK $ 140M and 32M.
Also Qianlong, a yellow ground famille-rose double gourd vase has been sold HK $ 252M. It had been estimated HK $ 30M.
The above results include the premium.
Qing and 1933 - The Greatest Jadeite Necklace
2014 SOLD 214 MHK$ including premium
The greatest diamonds of Golconda and the most beautiful jade beads from China have a common feature : the history of the extraction of the stone is lost, but only very skilled artists were able to prepare them, a task that could last several years.
The Qing greatly encouraged the work of jade, and their seals in white or green jade are among the masterpieces of their time. The emerald green jadeite was also used in jewelry.
Despite the troubles in the China of the later Qing, the most important sets of jade beads were not mixed or separated. The main quality of a necklace is the homogeneity of its beads. Any change in color, transparency or texture is a lack of taste, and for that purpose the beads must have been carved from a single boulder.
The prestige of jade reached the Western world. A lot of 27 big jadeite beads, between 15.4 and 19.2 mm in diameter, is included in 1933 in the inventory of Cartier. It is mounted in the same year by Cartier as a necklace with a clasp in ruby and diamond, to be offered as a wedding gift to the wealthy Barbara Hutton by her father. As Christina Onassis later, Barbara Hutton had a difficult life. The husband's family kept the precious necklace.
Considered as the greatest jadeite necklace in existence, this jewel twice won the highest auction price in its category : HK $ 15.6 million in 1988 and HK $ 33M in 1994. It is estimated in excess of HK $ 100M, for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 7. It is illustrated in the page shared by Blouin ArtInfo.
For comparison, a necklace of 35 jadeite beads 12.5 to 15 mm in diameter, also equipped with a clasp by Cartier, was sold for HK $ 43M including premium by Sotheby's on April 7, 2010.
POST SALE COMMENT
Pieces that are unique in their kind have no predictable price. The result, HK $ 214M including premium, rewards an extraordinary necklace.
The Qing greatly encouraged the work of jade, and their seals in white or green jade are among the masterpieces of their time. The emerald green jadeite was also used in jewelry.
Despite the troubles in the China of the later Qing, the most important sets of jade beads were not mixed or separated. The main quality of a necklace is the homogeneity of its beads. Any change in color, transparency or texture is a lack of taste, and for that purpose the beads must have been carved from a single boulder.
The prestige of jade reached the Western world. A lot of 27 big jadeite beads, between 15.4 and 19.2 mm in diameter, is included in 1933 in the inventory of Cartier. It is mounted in the same year by Cartier as a necklace with a clasp in ruby and diamond, to be offered as a wedding gift to the wealthy Barbara Hutton by her father. As Christina Onassis later, Barbara Hutton had a difficult life. The husband's family kept the precious necklace.
Considered as the greatest jadeite necklace in existence, this jewel twice won the highest auction price in its category : HK $ 15.6 million in 1988 and HK $ 33M in 1994. It is estimated in excess of HK $ 100M, for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 7. It is illustrated in the page shared by Blouin ArtInfo.
For comparison, a necklace of 35 jadeite beads 12.5 to 15 mm in diameter, also equipped with a clasp by Cartier, was sold for HK $ 43M including premium by Sotheby's on April 7, 2010.
POST SALE COMMENT
Pieces that are unique in their kind have no predictable price. The result, HK $ 214M including premium, rewards an extraordinary necklace.
