East Asia, China, Qing dynasty, Guangxu, ca. 1875 to 1908 CE. An exemplary pair of porcelain vases boasting an intricate gilt design atop a rich hue of navy blue. Adorned with a lustrous burnish, these opulent vessels present identical forms, each with a bulbous body, a graceful, elongated neck, and an annular, flared rim, all sitting upon a concave, circular foot. The body and neck of the vessel are embellished with lovely botanical medallions, all equidistantly scattered, as a thick band of a swirling lotus scroll with "shou" (longevity) characters encircles the shoulder. A meander pattern adorns the foot with a pretty design of petal lappets sitting just above it. The golden rim is additionally decorated by ruyi heads, which are representative of the Chinese god of prosperity, Cai Shen, as well as the act of achieving success in fengshui practice. The base of each vase is marked with 6 Chinese characters in kaishu script, indicating that these elegant examples were made during the rule of Guangxu (1875 to 1908) during the Qing dynasty. Size (both the same): 10.5" in diameter x 16.125" H (26.7 cm x 41 cm)

For similar Guangxu-marked bottle vases see "National Museum of History: Major Holdings of the National Museum of History", Taipei, 1988, p. 72 and "Imperial Porcelain of Late Qing from the Kwan Collection", Hong Kong, 1983, no. 126.

Most recently, a similar single vase of a slightly smaller scale than these was sold at Christie's Hong Kong for 350,000 HKD (equivalent to $45,100.48) as lot 367 in The Pavilion Sale Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art (Live Auction 18243) on October 7th, 2020. A nearly identical pair of vases, also of a slightly smaller scale, was sold by Christie's New York for $68,750 as lot 1268 in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art (Live Auction 12900) on March 16th, 2017. Additionally, another similar single vase was sold at Christie's Hong Kong for 400,000 HKD (equivalent to $51,541.40) as lot 3325 in Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art (Live Auction 3371) on November 25th, 2014.

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world’s largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: private Morrison, Colorado, USA collection

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#163668

A few miniscule abrasions to glaze. Otherwise, intact and excellent.