AN EXTRAORDINARY EMBELLISHED GOLD EWER AND COVER MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

THIS IS A PREMIUM LOT. CLIENTS WHO WISH TO BID ON PREMIUM LOTS ARE REQUESTED TO COMPLETE THE PREMIUM LOT PRE-REGISTRATION 3 WORKING DAYS PRIOR TO THE SALE.

exquisitely executed, the delicate flattened pear-shaped body set with a long thin spout issuing from the mouth of a dragon, set opposite a slender S-shaped handle linked to the domed cover, ornately cast with stylised peony flowerhead embellished in the centre with either a cabuchon pearl, ruby or sapphire, all borne on a lush acanthus leaf scroll encircling on both sides a painstakingly fine thread-relief filagree lotus medallion, the petals alternating between turquoise and pearls, centred on a large round pearl, below the attenuated neck collared with filagree upright plantain lappets, all supported on a chased lotus lappet foot, the small domed cover similarly cast with flowers accented with pearls and lapis-lazuli, surmounted by a drop-cut ruby finial linked by a chain to the handle

The Arts of the Ch'ing Dynasty, Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 1963-64, cat.no.  357.
Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain: The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat.no.29, an exhibition touring the United States and equally shown at
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington;
M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, California;
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas;
Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, Texas;
The Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Columbus, Ohio;
Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa;
The Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado;
Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah;
Krannert Art Museum, Champaign, Illinois.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 74.

The ewer is in excellent condition with only a minor old break to the very tip of the end of the handle that has been reglued and a pearl on the body possibly replaced and reinforced by a wire strung through the centre of the bead. The base of the spout has a light bruise and a small patch of filagree around the mouth rim has been slightly pushed-up.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

An Extraordinary Gold Ewer
Hajni Elias

This elegantly shaped and lavishly decorated miniature ewer belongs to a very special group of wares, possibly presented as tribute item or made on the orders of the Qianlong Emperor himself. Its unusually delicate small size suggests a certain intimacy between the vessel and its owner, hence it was most probably made for the personal use of the emperor rather than for use as a ceremonial or ritual object as was often the case with lavish pure gold vessels of the period. Gold was considered one of the most auspicious metals with an opulent look that catered to the emperor's extravagant taste and fondness for luxurious objects and works of art pieces.

Made in solid gold, the present ewer is shaped after drinking vessels of related pear-shaped body, tall neck and curving handles. Ceramic ewers of this form became especially popular in China from the Yuan dynasty onwards and were made with a celadon glaze, in monochrome white, or decorated in underglaze-blue or underglaze copper-red, such as the ewer attributed to the Hongwu (1368-1398) period illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 201. In its shape, this gold ewer closely follows Ming ceramic prototypes, although there were also much rarer prototypes in gold. 

Although no other similar gold ewer of this form and decoration of the Qianlong period appears to be recorded, this ewer may have been inspired by Ming prototypes such as the undecorated covered gold ewers unearthed in 2001 from the tomb of Prince Zhuang of Liang, who died in 1441, illustrated in Liang Zhu, ed., Liang Zhuang wang mu, Beijing, 2007, pls 18-21. Compare also a gold ewer (height 19.4 cm) of this shape inlaid with gems and carved with dragons and with a similar moulded dragon-head at the base of the spout, attributed to the Chenghua period (1465-1487) of the Ming dynasty, in the Capital Museum, Beijing, published in Gems of Beijing Cultural Relics Series: Gold and Silver Wares, Beijing 2004, pls. 84 and 85.

The body of the present ewer is richly decorated in high relief with peony scrolls arranged around a large rosette in filigree work embellished with pearls and turquoise. The many small peony flowers are set with precious stones and pearls. The thin spout rises out of a highly stylized dragon head, similar to that found on early Ming blue-and-white ewers decorated with the dragon design. See a Xuande ewer with the spout rising out of the mouth of a moulded dragon-head published in Zhongguo taoci quanji, vol. 12, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 53.  The neck of the vessel is also decorated in filigree technique with upright leaves below a band of flower scrolls in relief. The cover shows a similar peony scroll design inset with pearls and rubies, completed with a large tear-drop shaped ruby as a knob. The overall height of the vessel is 13.3 cm with the total weight reaching 500g, which is unusually heavy for an object of this delicate size.

The highly stylized and ornate relief decoration seen on this vessel is a fine example of Qianlong period innovation of the blending of Chinese and Western decorative elements in design. The rococo-style curling leaves, with their luscious elegance,   provide an opulent setting for the very Chinese blooms. Such blended motifs were conceived through cooperation between Jesuit missionary artists and Chinese artisans working in the Palace. Chinese and Western aesthetics were ingeniously fused together creating highly original masterpieces, especially admired by the Qianlong emperor. Similar relief decoration can be found on an imperial openwork gold covered box decorated with flower scrolls and inlaid with precious stones, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo jinyin boli falangqi quanji, vol.3, Shijiazhuang, 2002, pl. 306. See also a gold ruyi sceptre, with openwork floral scroll decoration and inlaid with pearls and gems, included in Treasures of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1995, pl. 80. 

This ewer may have inspired artists or was possibly made by the same hand as the famous Jiaqing period 'Jinou yonggu' gold cup. This cup is still preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and is illustrated in numerous publications, including ibid., pl. 83. The cup is made of pure gold and the decoration in high relief is closely related to that seen on this ewer. It is also embellished with precious stones such as ruby, sapphire and pearls. The decoration was originally set against a kingfisher feather ground, which is partially still visible, especially around the rim. 'Jinou yonggu' can be translated as 'the golden goblet remains strong forever', meaning that the integrity of the national territory is maintained forever. It was a cup used by the emperor on New Year's Day to celebrate his first writing of the year. The emperor would write auspicious words for the New Year and pray for successful administration and peace and order in the nation. The cup was regarded as an auspicious vessel and was handed down for many generations.

For other examples of Qianlong period pure gold vessels see a large gourd-form ewer (height 28.8 cm) embellished with pearls, rubies, coral and other semi-precious stones, from the Qing Court collection and still in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition Splendours of China's Forbidden City. The Glorious Reign of the Emperor Qianlong, The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, pl. 235. The authors (ibid., p.193) note that the 'emperor used gold tableware at formal banquets. The gold signified political stability'. Another large pure gold ewer, the entire body decorated in high relief with floral sprays and the Eight Buddhist Emblems and inlaid with turquoise, in the Tibet Museum, was included in the exhibition Treasures from Snow Mountains. Gems of Tibetan Cultural Relics, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2001, cat.no. 101; and one with low relief decoration is published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Treasures of Imperial Court, Hong Kong, 2004, pl. 210.  
 
Gold was held in high esteem, especially with the Tibetan religious hierarchy, and as the Qianlong emperor was an ardent follower of Tibetan Buddhism he had many Buddhist images, stupas, scriptures and ritual implements made of gold. Imperial records document the making a gold container in the form of a stupa to hold the hair of the Empress Dowager, Niugulu, mother of the Qianlong emperor. Upon receiving the emperor's order, palace officials started looking for available gold in the Shoukang Gong (Mansion of Longevity and Good Health), the late empress's palace. Gold objects such as a set of gold documents, a golden seal, gold vessels and gold objects such as chopsticks, teaspoon and others were melted down for the making of this stupa. Extra gold was requested from the Neiwufu (Imperial Household Department) with the total amount of gold reaching the weight of 2300 ounces. The complete process of the making of this stupa took over three months with every step of the work supervised and approved by the Qianlong emperor. (Theresa Tse Bartholomew, 'A Gold Stupa for the Empress Dowager's Hair', op.cit., Chicago, 2004, p. 152.)

For other examples of religious ceremonial objects made of pure gold and inlaid with pearls and gems, see a shrine in the form of a pavilion, in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, included op.cit., Hong Kong, 2004, pl. 179, together with a gold mandala inlaid with gold filigree and turquoise and engraved with floral design, related to that seen on the present ewer, pl. 181, and a gold case for Buddhist scripture also inlaid with pearls and decorated with floral scrolls, pl. 188.