Qing Porcelain
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : China Chinese porcelain Early Qing Qianlong Bird Chinese dragon Inventions
Chronology : 18th century 1710-1719 1720-1729 1730-1739 1740-1749 1750-1759
See also : China Chinese porcelain Early Qing Qianlong Bird Chinese dragon Inventions
Chronology : 18th century 1710-1719 1720-1729 1730-1739 1740-1749 1750-1759
Intro
Let us start with some glossary on the Chinese porcelain under the Qing. The deposition of the enamel powders before heating is named falangcai (foreign colors) in recognition of the role of the Jesuits in the development of this technique.
The 'famille rose' wording refers to the full maturity of this art when the enamel creates opaque colors. This term is misleading because the porcelains from the famille rose do not always include that color. It is better to use the word yangcai which is generic for that technique or fencai meaning powdery colors which more specifically applies to the Imperial yangcai.
The term yangcai was introduced in the final year of the Yongzheng reign, 1735 CE, by Tang Ying, the supervisor of the Jingdezhen imperial workshops.
The famille verte is a similar technique except that the colors are translucent. Here too we shall prefer the Chinese word : yingcai.
During the 57th year of Kangximatching 1718 CE, the workshops that produce the falangcai are changing their location in the imperial palace for reinforcing the direct control by the emperor.
Kangxi is acting at two key points, first to approve the piece in white porcelain provided by Jingdezhen, and then to accept the finished piece. For this emperor, technological development is more important than production and the falangcai bearing his mark are very rare. Most are marked Kangxi yuzhi meaning that they were made for the personal use of the emperor.
The 'famille rose' wording refers to the full maturity of this art when the enamel creates opaque colors. This term is misleading because the porcelains from the famille rose do not always include that color. It is better to use the word yangcai which is generic for that technique or fencai meaning powdery colors which more specifically applies to the Imperial yangcai.
The term yangcai was introduced in the final year of the Yongzheng reign, 1735 CE, by Tang Ying, the supervisor of the Jingdezhen imperial workshops.
The famille verte is a similar technique except that the colors are translucent. Here too we shall prefer the Chinese word : yingcai.
During the 57th year of Kangximatching 1718 CE, the workshops that produce the falangcai are changing their location in the imperial palace for reinforcing the direct control by the emperor.
Kangxi is acting at two key points, first to approve the piece in white porcelain provided by Jingdezhen, and then to accept the finished piece. For this emperor, technological development is more important than production and the falangcai bearing his mark are very rare. Most are marked Kangxi yuzhi meaning that they were made for the personal use of the emperor.
1711 Kangxi Falangcai Bowl
2018 SOLD for HK$ 240M by Sotheby's
The Kangxi Emperor and King Louis XIV had similar ambitions. They decided in 1684 to share their scientific and cultural knowledge through Jesuits who accepted the customs of imperial China. The French were interested in brocades and chopsticks and the Chinese in using enamels to cover copper and glass.
The activity is developed in a workshop of the Forbidden City under the direct control of the emperor. A new glassmaker arrived in 1695 brings with him the enamels invented by the alchemists to create splendid colors with colloidal gold. The glass pieces colored with the enamel of the foreigners (in Chinese : falangcai) serve as diplomatic gifts.
Chinese craftsmen joined the Jesuits of the imperial workshop around 1711 to develop a mixed technology of the highest luxury. Meanwhile the potters of Jingdezhen were working with the limited color range of the wucai for a purpose of productivity.
Chinese porcelain was unknown in Europe and the Jesuits considered it impossible to affix the enamel over the glaze. After the failure of trials using pre-existing white wares, porcelains were supplied incompletely glazed to Beijing from Jingdezhen for the painting of the outside wall and the base with the colors unavailable at Jingdezhen. A final heating completed the process.
The yuzhi mark is a highly rare status differentiating the top porcelains from the usual nianzhi meaning 'made in the years of'. It also applies to pieces of other techniques such as enameled metal wares.
The yangcai will be the complete mastery of the falangcai process at Jingdezhen around the sixth year of the Yongzheng emperor, 1729 CE. The participation of foreigners will no longer be necessary.
A 12.5 cm red ground falangcai bowl with a blue yuzhi mark of Kangxi has the same overall shape as the example above, including a gently flared rim and a short foot. This early example was prepared in Jingdezhen without glazing the outer wall before its full layering with the European enamels in the imperial workshops in Beijing and a second firing therein.
The ruby red is achieved by inclusion of colloidal gold. The wall is decorated with four baroque cartouches, each one featuring a vibrant bloom on bright yellow ground overall matching the four season floral theme : a lilac pomegranate, a pink peony, a pink and green hollyhock and a deep purple camellia, displayed with their matching buds and leaves.
The intense egg yellow of the panels and the royal blue of the flowers are only found on the earliest Kangxi falangcai wares, and are fully different from the much weaker yellows and blues of the Jingdezhen yingcai. The process was not reused on later falangcai.
Also the purple shows in places a golden sheen of not fully dissolved gold particles, assessing on that piece the earliest mastering phase of the falangcai. The experimental falangcai pieces kept at the Taipei Imperial Museum display a higher maturity of the process, with no trace of gold at magnifications lower than 50 times.
The surface division into four sectors with a floral design is also unprecedented, a consequence of the lack of experience of European artists in the painting of rounded surfaces. The blue flowers inserted between the panels are presented from different angles, showing their undersides, profiles and inner centres all at the same time, with no other example known.
This bowl is estimated HK $ 40M for sale by Sotheby's on May 7, 2025, lot 3638, to benefit the acquisition fund of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.
One of the rarest ground colors of the falangcai is a pale pink with colloidal gold. Two 14.7 cm diameter bowls, each one decorated with four lobed cartridges showing flowers in front of a blue sky, were probably made side by side. They carry the yuzhi mark of Kangxi. The floral themes are however different, attesting to a close cooperation between Chinese and European artists. The bowl kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei follows the traditional Chinese auspices of the four seasons.
It was sold for HK $ 240M by Sotheby's on April 3, 2018, lot 1. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house. The pairing bowl is of European decoration, displaying flowers without symbolic meaning and a perspective effect that is not usual in traditional Chinese art.
The activity is developed in a workshop of the Forbidden City under the direct control of the emperor. A new glassmaker arrived in 1695 brings with him the enamels invented by the alchemists to create splendid colors with colloidal gold. The glass pieces colored with the enamel of the foreigners (in Chinese : falangcai) serve as diplomatic gifts.
Chinese craftsmen joined the Jesuits of the imperial workshop around 1711 to develop a mixed technology of the highest luxury. Meanwhile the potters of Jingdezhen were working with the limited color range of the wucai for a purpose of productivity.
Chinese porcelain was unknown in Europe and the Jesuits considered it impossible to affix the enamel over the glaze. After the failure of trials using pre-existing white wares, porcelains were supplied incompletely glazed to Beijing from Jingdezhen for the painting of the outside wall and the base with the colors unavailable at Jingdezhen. A final heating completed the process.
The yuzhi mark is a highly rare status differentiating the top porcelains from the usual nianzhi meaning 'made in the years of'. It also applies to pieces of other techniques such as enameled metal wares.
The yangcai will be the complete mastery of the falangcai process at Jingdezhen around the sixth year of the Yongzheng emperor, 1729 CE. The participation of foreigners will no longer be necessary.
A 12.5 cm red ground falangcai bowl with a blue yuzhi mark of Kangxi has the same overall shape as the example above, including a gently flared rim and a short foot. This early example was prepared in Jingdezhen without glazing the outer wall before its full layering with the European enamels in the imperial workshops in Beijing and a second firing therein.
The ruby red is achieved by inclusion of colloidal gold. The wall is decorated with four baroque cartouches, each one featuring a vibrant bloom on bright yellow ground overall matching the four season floral theme : a lilac pomegranate, a pink peony, a pink and green hollyhock and a deep purple camellia, displayed with their matching buds and leaves.
The intense egg yellow of the panels and the royal blue of the flowers are only found on the earliest Kangxi falangcai wares, and are fully different from the much weaker yellows and blues of the Jingdezhen yingcai. The process was not reused on later falangcai.
Also the purple shows in places a golden sheen of not fully dissolved gold particles, assessing on that piece the earliest mastering phase of the falangcai. The experimental falangcai pieces kept at the Taipei Imperial Museum display a higher maturity of the process, with no trace of gold at magnifications lower than 50 times.
The surface division into four sectors with a floral design is also unprecedented, a consequence of the lack of experience of European artists in the painting of rounded surfaces. The blue flowers inserted between the panels are presented from different angles, showing their undersides, profiles and inner centres all at the same time, with no other example known.
This bowl is estimated HK $ 40M for sale by Sotheby's on May 7, 2025, lot 3638, to benefit the acquisition fund of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.
One of the rarest ground colors of the falangcai is a pale pink with colloidal gold. Two 14.7 cm diameter bowls, each one decorated with four lobed cartridges showing flowers in front of a blue sky, were probably made side by side. They carry the yuzhi mark of Kangxi. The floral themes are however different, attesting to a close cooperation between Chinese and European artists. The bowl kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei follows the traditional Chinese auspices of the four seasons.
It was sold for HK $ 240M by Sotheby's on April 3, 2018, lot 1. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house. The pairing bowl is of European decoration, displaying flowers without symbolic meaning and a perspective effect that is not usual in traditional Chinese art.
Yongzheng Dragon Vase
2019 SOLD for RMB 147M by Poly
From the 6th year of his reign matching 1728 CE, the Yongzheng emperor managed a direct control over the production of imperial porcelain. Under the supervision of Superintendent Tang Ying, most of the traditional techniques were restarted and quickly raised to a new level of perfection.
Tang Ying 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.
On June 5, 2019, Poly sold as lot 5552 for RMB 147M a magnificent vase 51 cm high with a round body and a thick neck which is a technological feat without any relationship with the new enamel paintings brought by the foreigners.
This piece flawlessly combines an underglaze in cobalt blue and a red copper glaze which nevertheless required an extremely dissimilar firing profile. The recipe was lost very soon afterward and the Qianlong emperor himself will not get comparable porcelains despite his insistence with the same Superintendent.
The bright red dragon wraps its sinuous body in the blue clouds, in a contrast of superb brilliance. The blue is made in several shades, matching the quality of the Xuande porcelain of the Ming. The glaze becomes invisible over blue and white.
The wide open mouth and the bulging eyes of the dragon express a great fury. This mythical animal has only three claws per leg and cannot be confused with a Qing imperial dragon.
It is a copy of the dragons drawn under the Southern Song dynasty by Chen Rong, assessing Yongzheng's care to promote the best from Chinese graphic art of all times. Copies on silk in the same style were executed in the same period.
A drawing 35 x 440 cm scrolling six dragons executed by Chen Rong in 1244 CE was sold for $ 49M by Christie's in 2017.
A vase sold for HK $ 56M by Christie's on November 30, 2023, lot 2640, is nearly identical as the vase sold for RMB 147M by Poly in 2017.
Tang Ying 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.
On June 5, 2019, Poly sold as lot 5552 for RMB 147M a magnificent vase 51 cm high with a round body and a thick neck which is a technological feat without any relationship with the new enamel paintings brought by the foreigners.
This piece flawlessly combines an underglaze in cobalt blue and a red copper glaze which nevertheless required an extremely dissimilar firing profile. The recipe was lost very soon afterward and the Qianlong emperor himself will not get comparable porcelains despite his insistence with the same Superintendent.
The bright red dragon wraps its sinuous body in the blue clouds, in a contrast of superb brilliance. The blue is made in several shades, matching the quality of the Xuande porcelain of the Ming. The glaze becomes invisible over blue and white.
The wide open mouth and the bulging eyes of the dragon express a great fury. This mythical animal has only three claws per leg and cannot be confused with a Qing imperial dragon.
It is a copy of the dragons drawn under the Southern Song dynasty by Chen Rong, assessing Yongzheng's care to promote the best from Chinese graphic art of all times. Copies on silk in the same style were executed in the same period.
A drawing 35 x 440 cm scrolling six dragons executed by Chen Rong in 1244 CE was sold for $ 49M by Christie's in 2017.
A vase sold for HK $ 56M by Christie's on November 30, 2023, lot 2640, is nearly identical as the vase sold for RMB 147M by Poly in 2017.
Qianlong Falangcai
1
1736 Swallow Bowl
2023 SOLD for HK$ 200M by Sotheby's
A culmination of the artistic porcelain skill is the narrative wrapping around a falangcai vessel, like the image from a handscroll interrupted by a poem on the reverse.
According to the palace records, ‘a large pair of bowls with apricot grove and spring swallows’ was submitted in 1734 CE during the reign of the Yongzheng emperor. A pair matching this description is kept in the palace Museum in Taipei.
A similar pair bearing the same poem with another illustration of the trees and birds bears the imperial mark of Qianlong. It was arguably prepared at the very beginning of that reign, 1736. The narrative illustration was soon afterward out-fashioned, the new emperor preferring naturalistic themes. Both elements are slightly different one another in the practice of the Yongzheng reign.
The Qianlong pair was separated at auction in 1929. One of the bowls soon joined the Sir Percival David Collection, now in the British Museum.
Its counterpart went to several prestigious owners including Barbara Hutton and Dr Alice Cheng. It was sold for HK $ 150M by Christie's on November 28, 2006, lot 1309, and for HK $ 200M by Sotheby's on April 8, 2023, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
This small piece 11.3 cm in diameter is potted with translucent rounded sides rising to a flaring rim. The exterior is enameled in two shades of pink, yellow, green, brown and black. Its Qianlong four-character imperial mark is inserted in a double square.
Illustrating the pleasure of spring, it features two auspicious swallows flying in the sky beside a blossoming apricot tree intertwined with a willow. Such a combination had been considered as vulgar by a Ming taste arbiter. The willow tree is an emblem for a slender beautiful woman while the apricot refers to a playful sexuality. Swallows bring worldwide the announcement of spring. Often seen in pairs, they also symbolize a loving couple.
The ten-character poem inscribed in four black lines on the reverse is related with a dance performed by a Tang imperial concubine with a gown of shimmering feathers. Its three lines are respectively preceded and followed by ruby red enamel seals meaning early spring and dawn glow.
According to the palace records, ‘a large pair of bowls with apricot grove and spring swallows’ was submitted in 1734 CE during the reign of the Yongzheng emperor. A pair matching this description is kept in the palace Museum in Taipei.
A similar pair bearing the same poem with another illustration of the trees and birds bears the imperial mark of Qianlong. It was arguably prepared at the very beginning of that reign, 1736. The narrative illustration was soon afterward out-fashioned, the new emperor preferring naturalistic themes. Both elements are slightly different one another in the practice of the Yongzheng reign.
The Qianlong pair was separated at auction in 1929. One of the bowls soon joined the Sir Percival David Collection, now in the British Museum.
Its counterpart went to several prestigious owners including Barbara Hutton and Dr Alice Cheng. It was sold for HK $ 150M by Christie's on November 28, 2006, lot 1309, and for HK $ 200M by Sotheby's on April 8, 2023, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
This small piece 11.3 cm in diameter is potted with translucent rounded sides rising to a flaring rim. The exterior is enameled in two shades of pink, yellow, green, brown and black. Its Qianlong four-character imperial mark is inserted in a double square.
Illustrating the pleasure of spring, it features two auspicious swallows flying in the sky beside a blossoming apricot tree intertwined with a willow. Such a combination had been considered as vulgar by a Ming taste arbiter. The willow tree is an emblem for a slender beautiful woman while the apricot refers to a playful sexuality. Swallows bring worldwide the announcement of spring. Often seen in pairs, they also symbolize a loving couple.
The ten-character poem inscribed in four black lines on the reverse is related with a dance performed by a Tang imperial concubine with a gown of shimmering feathers. Its three lines are respectively preceded and followed by ruby red enamel seals meaning early spring and dawn glow.
2
undated Pheasant Vase
2011 SOLD for HK$ 200M by Sotheby's
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 passed at auction at Sotheby's from a lower estimate of HK $ 180M on April 7, 2011, lot 15. A press release from rhe aucrion house told that this vase has been sold for HK $ 200M privately after the sale.
It is 20 cm high and bears the Imperial mark. On a white background, its exquisite painting shows a couple of pheasants on a nest. The balance of the curves between the bottle and its neck is perfect.
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 passed at auction at Sotheby's from a lower estimate of HK $ 180M on April 7, 2011, lot 15. A press release from rhe aucrion house told that this vase has been sold for HK $ 200M privately after the sale.
It is 20 cm high and bears the Imperial mark. On a white background, its exquisite painting shows a couple of pheasants on a nest. The balance of the curves between the bottle and its neck is perfect.
3
undated Poppy Bowl
2018 SOLD for HK$ 170M by Sotheby's
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, 2018, Sotheby's sold as lot 1 for HK $ 170M 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 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, 2018, Sotheby's sold as lot 1 for HK $ 170M 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 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 Yangcai
For over a hundred years the Qing emperors have desired and achieved unprecedented improvements in all Chinese artistic techniques. At the end of the Yongzheng reign, the superintendent Tang Ying assured the full mastery of porcelain technologies in the Jingdezhen workshops.
The yangcai of Jingdezhen was deemed to succeed the onerous falangcai executed in the Forbidden City. The colors of the enamels on porcelain have reached a superb brilliance.
A reprimand expressed by Qianlong in his 6th year matching 1741 CE about the quality of the Jingdezhen productions in the previous years led to a reinforced supervision by Tang Ying and his newly appointed assistant Laoge.
The high skill required to the Jingdezhen workshops was maintained until the ninth year of Qianlong, 1744 CE.
The yangcai of Jingdezhen was deemed to succeed the onerous falangcai executed in the Forbidden City. The colors of the enamels on porcelain have reached a superb brilliance.
A reprimand expressed by Qianlong in his 6th year matching 1741 CE about the quality of the Jingdezhen productions in the previous years led to a reinforced supervision by Tang Ying and his newly appointed assistant Laoge.
The high skill required to the Jingdezhen workshops was maintained until the ninth year of Qianlong, 1744 CE.
1
1743 Reticulated Vase
2010 UNPAID at £ 43M plus a buyer's premium of £ 8.6M, at Bainbridges
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 cancelled. Here is the link to the 2012 report by The Telegraph before the sale was cancelled.
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 cancelled. Here is the link to the 2012 report by The Telegraph before the sale was cancelled.
2
1742-1743 Reticulated Vase
2018 SOLD for HK$ 150M by Sotheby's
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 resurfaced. It was sold for HK $ 150M from a lower estimate of HK $ 50M by Sotheby's on October 3, 2018, 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.
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
3
Undated Cimu Vase
2014 SOLD for $ 24.7M by Skinner
The cimu meaning mother of porcelains is a vase of the most exceptional size and complexity. It is usually made using a dozen glazing techniques, and has to go through many complicated processes during manufacture.
The technical feat and the rarity converge to suppose that it mas made in the period of the Tang Ying supervision under the authority of the Qianlong emperor, before 1744 CE.
A cimu 87 cm high with a 27.3 cm mouth width surfaced in New England. The body is made of twelve rectangular panels of varied themes including flowers and landscapes, half of them in fencai. It bears the imperial mark of Qianlong under the base.
It was sold for $ 24.7M from a lower estimate of $ 150K by Skinner on September 17, 2014, lot 96. It is damaged with some cracks and scratches and underwent minor repairs in five places. It is illustrated in the post sale report by ChinaCulture.
The only pairing example of its size and decoration is kept at the National Palace Museum in Beijing.
The technical feat and the rarity converge to suppose that it mas made in the period of the Tang Ying supervision under the authority of the Qianlong emperor, before 1744 CE.
A cimu 87 cm high with a 27.3 cm mouth width surfaced in New England. The body is made of twelve rectangular panels of varied themes including flowers and landscapes, half of them in fencai. It bears the imperial mark of Qianlong under the base.
It was sold for $ 24.7M from a lower estimate of $ 150K by Skinner on September 17, 2014, lot 96. It is damaged with some cracks and scratches and underwent minor repairs in five places. It is illustrated in the post sale report by ChinaCulture.
The only pairing example of its size and decoration is kept at the National Palace Museum in Beijing.
4
1743 Heaven and Earth Vase
2022 SOLD for HK$ 177M by Sotheby's
A 31 cm overall reticulated vase made in Jingdezhen with the imperial Qianlong mark was sold for HK $ 177M from a lowrt estimate of HK $ 60M by Sotheby's on October 9, 2022, lot 3801. Such an interlocking and revolving design was recorded as jiaotai in 1743 CE in the imperial archives one month after the Longquan style.
The outer vase is a classical pear shaped decorated in yangcai with ruyi lines and lotus flowers. Its background is red ruby. It is incised in sgraffiato. Its pairing vase, also known in Sotheby's archives, has a rib below the neck. A smaller pair made in the next year has a bright yellow ground. Another pair was made in 1746.
The actual body inside that envelope is a revolving inner tube, terminated by the trumpet shaped finial in pale ground with two handles. It is painted in its lower part with underglaze-blue lotus scrolls in early Ming style.
The two sets of four small windows over and under a continuous line of ruyi heads are made of patterns of three straight rows, either in full length or divided to symbolize the eight trigrams of heaven and earth. The Chinese word of this figure is qian which is the first part of Qianlong reign title.
Obviously the tubular shape of the inner vase would not allow a comfortable view from the central distance of the outer wall. It is a major difference from the all around view in the non revolving Longquan type.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The outer vase is a classical pear shaped decorated in yangcai with ruyi lines and lotus flowers. Its background is red ruby. It is incised in sgraffiato. Its pairing vase, also known in Sotheby's archives, has a rib below the neck. A smaller pair made in the next year has a bright yellow ground. Another pair was made in 1746.
The actual body inside that envelope is a revolving inner tube, terminated by the trumpet shaped finial in pale ground with two handles. It is painted in its lower part with underglaze-blue lotus scrolls in early Ming style.
The two sets of four small windows over and under a continuous line of ruyi heads are made of patterns of three straight rows, either in full length or divided to symbolize the eight trigrams of heaven and earth. The Chinese word of this figure is qian which is the first part of Qianlong reign title.
Obviously the tubular shape of the inner vase would not allow a comfortable view from the central distance of the outer wall. It is a major difference from the all around view in the non revolving Longquan type.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
5
1752 100 Birds Vase
2021 SOLD for RMB 266M by Poly
The manufacturing process of the reticulated revolving vase was arguably the most difficult ever, with the elements being assembled after separate firing. The Qianlong emperor wisely stopped it after pairing the last additional pieces to the production from the first batches.
The technology of the double vase nevertheless remained appealing for offering the most favorable auspices. Such pieces may be identified as turning heart bottles.
One of them, 63 cm high, is among the most massive in that category. The outer belly features a flying phoenix in a scenery. The open work matches the details of the landscape in irregular shapes, which is an additional feat with a higher risk of deformation during the firing. The rotation of the inner cylinder reveals the flock of ten species of auspicious birds in their flight facing the phoenix as a symbol of the harmonious balance of yin and yang.
The Divine Mother Empress Dowager Chongqing was held in very high regard by her son the Qianlong emperor and her 60th birthday in 1752 CE was one of the most lavish events of his reign.
The Imperial archives record that, on the fifth month of Qianlong's 18th year, the emperor commissioned Jingdezhen to fire a turning heart bottle with fighting dragons which was delivered by Tang Ying in the 11th month of the next year after 18 months of labor.
The yangcai vase with the phoenix was not documented. It was certainly prepared in the same period for a filial presenting to the empress dowager who was known to enjoy the story of the '100 birds'. It was sold for £ 330K by Christie's on June 15, 1999, lot 99, and for RMB 266M by Poly on June 7, 2021, lot 5153.
The technology of the double vase nevertheless remained appealing for offering the most favorable auspices. Such pieces may be identified as turning heart bottles.
One of them, 63 cm high, is among the most massive in that category. The outer belly features a flying phoenix in a scenery. The open work matches the details of the landscape in irregular shapes, which is an additional feat with a higher risk of deformation during the firing. The rotation of the inner cylinder reveals the flock of ten species of auspicious birds in their flight facing the phoenix as a symbol of the harmonious balance of yin and yang.
The Divine Mother Empress Dowager Chongqing was held in very high regard by her son the Qianlong emperor and her 60th birthday in 1752 CE was one of the most lavish events of his reign.
The Imperial archives record that, on the fifth month of Qianlong's 18th year, the emperor commissioned Jingdezhen to fire a turning heart bottle with fighting dragons which was delivered by Tang Ying in the 11th month of the next year after 18 months of labor.
The yangcai vase with the phoenix was not documented. It was certainly prepared in the same period for a filial presenting to the empress dowager who was known to enjoy the story of the '100 birds'. It was sold for £ 330K by Christie's on June 15, 1999, lot 99, and for RMB 266M by Poly on June 7, 2021, lot 5153.
6
Undated Double Gourd Vase
2010 SOLD for HK$ 253M by Sotheby's
A vase was sold for HK $ 253M by Sotheby's on October 7, 2010 from a lower estimate of HK $ 30M, lot 2126.
This 40 cm high double gourd vase without handles bears the Qianlong imperial mark. By its design and execution, it is a magnificent example of the yangcai in the techniques and styles of Jingdezhen with its pale yellow background, a long cylindrical slender neck above the upper bulb and sgraffiato incisions.
This piece is enamel painted with flowers including lotus, peonies and hibiscus and with foliate scrolls. The large lower bulb is centered at both sides with a pink double lotus bloom in the style of Giuseppe Castiglione. Symbols of longevity are displayed in two gold medallions. The interior is glazed in bright turquoise.
Designed in Beijing around 1741 CE, the sgraffiato becomes in Jingdezhen a dense pattern of scrollwork deeply applied on the monochrome background for reminding a rich brocade.
This 40 cm high double gourd vase without handles bears the Qianlong imperial mark. By its design and execution, it is a magnificent example of the yangcai in the techniques and styles of Jingdezhen with its pale yellow background, a long cylindrical slender neck above the upper bulb and sgraffiato incisions.
This piece is enamel painted with flowers including lotus, peonies and hibiscus and with foliate scrolls. The large lower bulb is centered at both sides with a pink double lotus bloom in the style of Giuseppe Castiglione. Symbols of longevity are displayed in two gold medallions. The interior is glazed in bright turquoise.
Designed in Beijing around 1741 CE, the sgraffiato becomes in Jingdezhen a dense pattern of scrollwork deeply applied on the monochrome background for reminding a rich brocade.
