A LARGE GILT-BRONZE AND CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL BALUSTER VASE AND COVER, QIANLONG TO JIAQING

China, c. 1760-1820. The vessel is finely adorned with polychrome cloisonné enamels, featuring peonies on the main sides and chrysanthemums on the narrow sides, all set against a turquoise wan-diaper ground. The sloping shoulders are decorated with additional floral motifs, while the faceted corners display blue angular scrolls.

Adorned with numerous finely gilt bronze mounts, each neatly incised, the design features cord-tied bi disks clutched between the beaks of bird heads, their wings elegantly positioned at the shoulder corners and atop the crouching monster supports. The canted facets of the cover mirror this intricate decoration, culminating in a lingzhi fungus finial with a deer perched gracefully above.

Provenance: Sotheby’s London, 13 June 2003, lot 652 (dated to the Qianlong period). The Property of a Lady, acquired from the above.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, casting irregularities, a small dent with minor associated losses to one side, little rubbing to the gilt, few tiny nicks, light surface scratches, and minor pitting, areas of light crackle and discoloration to enamels.

Weight: 10.4 kg
Dimensions: Height 54.3 cm

Did you know?
A pair of similar covered vases is displayed in situ at the Zixiao dian (Purple Heaven Hall) in the Summer Palace. Built in 1886, the hall was a lounge for princes, patriarchs, and cabinet ministers when gathered to celebrate the Empress Dowager Cixi's birthdays, and a repository for her birthday gifts.

Literature comparison:
Compare a near identical cloisonné enamel baluster vase and cover, dated to the Qianlong period, 54.5 cm tall, in the British Museum, museum number 1992,0704.1. Compare a closely related vase in the Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum, illustrated in The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum, The Enamel Volume, 2007, p. 170, no. 14.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Near identical
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3544
Price: HKD 2,800,000 or approx. EUR 430,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large gilt-metal cloisonne enamel facetted vase and cover, Qing dynasty, late 18th/19th century
Expert remark: Compare the near identical form, subject, gilt decorations, and size (53.3 cm).