BRONZE-IMITATION BROWN-GLAZED GILT-DECORATED 'CHILONG' VASE
QING DYNASTY, JIAQING MARK, 19TH CENTURY
清 嘉慶款 仿銅褐釉描金螭龍膽瓶with a compressed globular body recessed base to a tall cylindrical neck, applied with a gilt-decorated archaistic chilong curling around the shoulder, finely detailed with sharp fangs and combed mane, its well-defined body terminating in a bifurcated tail sweeping around the shoulder, covered overall in a brown glaze save for the foot ring, the base moulded with a six-character Jiaqing mark 
20.7cm high 
This vase is unusual for the finely moulded sinuous chilong applied on the shoulders of the vessel. Imitations of other materials were a challenge taken up by the Jingdezhen potters to display the great potential of their craft. The present vase, applied with a metallic bronze-like glaze, demonstrates two ways in which the Jingdezhen potters rendered imitations of other materials in porcelain. A small number of other vessels produced during the Qing dynasty with the same innovative glaze are known. A bronze-imitation gilt-splashed ‘bamboo' double vase, marked and period of Qianlong, was sold at Sotheby's New York, 20 March 2019, lot 522. Another bronze imitation tea-dust glazed gilt splashed ‘chilong’ bottle vase, also marked and period of Qianlong, was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7 October 2015, lot 3682. A further bronze-imitation brown-glazed hu vase, with comparable moulded Qianlong mark and dated to the period, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 Nov 2006, lot 1602.