A RARE PAIR OF IVORY AND PAINTED ENAMEL FIGURES OF KNEELING BOYS QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD |

each enameled metal body with carved ivory heads and hands, modeled kneeling in mirror of the other, their bodies turned slightly to the side with arms extended, vibrantly painted with gilt blue-ground robes above puce trousers, the faces finely detailed with smiling expressions. the hair gathered into two top knots, raised on fixed gilt-metal stands in incised with lotus scroll (2)

Collection of R.H.R. Palmer (1898-1970).
Collection of the Hon. Mrs. Nellie Ionides (1883-1962).
Sotheby's London, 18th February 1964, lot 192. 
John Sparks, Ltd., London, 10th June 1964. 
Collection of Sidney T. Cook (1910-1964), and thence by descent. 

R. Soame Jenyns, Chinese Art III, New York, 1965, col. pl. 96 and front cover.

The pair of figures are in general good condition. One with restoration to both shoes and possibly to other areas, and loss to a section of the little finger on the left hand. The other with restoration to one shoe and possibly to other areas. Both with some cracks to the enamel on the legs and characteristic age cracks to the ivory. There also appears to be a layer of protective coating to the surface, which has now partially worn away. Please note that this lot is limited to buyers in the United States only and cannot be exported. 
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Painted enamel and ivory figures of this type are rare and only one other closely related example is known, from the J.E.G. Kulkindis collection, offered at Bonhams London, 10th November 2016, lot 100. Compare also a pair of kneeling figures modeled in a related style, formed of a variety of materials including wooden bodies, enameled copper attributes, and ivory heads and hands, attributed to the eighteenth century, from the collections of H.M. Queen Mary and Mrs Rafi Y. Mottahedeh, included in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935, cat. no. 688, and exhibited in Chinese Ivories from the Shang to the Qing, Sotheby’s, London, 1984, cat. no. 135, where it mentions that the set was probably made in Guangdong, which was ‘not only the main foreign trading port in the eighteenth century but also a centre of enamelled copper wares for the European market' (p. 115).


Please note that this lot is limited to buyers in the United States only and cannot be exported.