A rare and large famille-rose 'Hundred Boys' double-gourd vase, Qing dynasty, Daoguang period

Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 26th March 1971, lot 183.

American Private Collection.

Covered from base to neck with lively scenes of boys at play rendered in crisp and bright enamels, this monumental vase is an extraordinary example of its type and stands as a rare testament to the lively aesthetics and true mastery of color perfected in the middle Qing period.

While many classical scholars once turned to the so-called ‘High Qing’ period of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors as the pinnacle of Qing craftsmanship, many exceptional wares from later periods – the present vase included – speak to a more nuanced reality. Continuing to produce magnificent wares for the imperial court; further advancing their control of famille rose enamels; and applying and adapting grand motifs from classical paintings, imperial craftsmen of the Jiaqing (1796-1820) and Daoguang (1821-1850) reigns are known to have produced monumental pieces comparable to, if not surpassing, their late Qianlong period equivalents.

This grand vase takes the form of a double gourd, hulu: a plant long steeped in auspicious symbolism. With a large number of seeds representing fertility and the wish for numerous sons, the hulu is a frequent subject in ceramics and paintings alike. Particularly associated with Li Tieguai, one of the Eight Immortals, who is often depicted with a double gourd at his waist containing the elixir of immortality, the hulu thus is also associated with Daoist thought and a wish for longevity. Finally, historically pronounced like the phrase fulu, a wish for happiness and prosperity in one’s governmental career, the gourd is further used as a rebus. Each of these levels of meaning, combined with the sheer skill required to produce such a shape at scale, renders the present vase a remarkable and coveted object. 

The subject of 100 boys (baizi) adorning the present vase is seemingly associated with auspicious wishes. Dating back to the Song dynasty (960-1279), this depiction of children engaged in games and outdoor activities is considered symbolic of longevity, prosperity and well-being, as well as the embodiment of adult aspirations. A popular subject during the Ming period, this motif was revived under the reign of the Qianlong Emperor and vases of various forms were painted with playful scenes in a style similar to the present, but usually between color ground borders; see a larger vase of baluster form and high shoulders between yellow ground borders, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 121; an ovoid vase with green borders, in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, illustrated in Chugoku toji zenshu, vol. 21, Kyoto, 1981, pl. 117; and another ovoid vase with ruby-ground borders, from the J.M. Hu Collection, sold in these rooms, 4th June 1985, lot 69.

Unlike his predecessors, who mainly commissioned works bearing imperial reign marks (‘Made in the year of the Jiaqing Emperor’ etc.), the Daoguang Emperor is known to have embraced the use of ‘hall marks’ which designated the specific desired location of a work within his vast network of palaces. The present mark, reading Xie zhu zhu ren zao, is exceedingly rare and identifies the piece as ‘Made for the Master of the Xie Bamboo’. This moniker makes references to the mythical Yellow Emperor, who is said to have invented the music scale by cutting bamboo from the Xie Valley, and identifies the present vase as made for the Xiezhuju (Xie Bamboo Studio); a personal study of the Daoguang Emperor, once located in the Jiangnan Gardens of the Summer Palace.