A RARE PAIR OF RUBY-GROUND FAMILLE-ROSE 'BAJIXIANG' CANDLESTICKS, QIANLONG SEAL MARKS AND PERIOD | 清乾隆 胭脂紅地粉彩八吉祥紋燭臺一對 《大清乾隆年製》款
Auction Closed
November 4, 07:52 PM GMT
Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A RARE PAIR OF RUBY-GROUND FAMILLE-ROSE 'BAJIXIANG' CANDLESTICKS
QIANLONG SEAL MARKS AND PERIOD
清乾隆 胭脂紅地粉彩八吉祥紋燭臺一對 《大清乾隆年製》款
each enamelled around the body with the bajixiang amidst multi-coloured large lotus blooms borne on dense scrolling leafy stems, with a puce-enamel keyfret band around the foot, dispersed at various intervals with bands of ruyi, interlinked pendant and upright trefoils, dots, and gilt bands, all reserved on a rich ruby-red ground, the interior and base enamelled turquoise, the dish tray inscribed with a six-character iron-red seal mark within a cartouche
(2)
Height 28.5 cm, 11¼ in.
Candlesticks of this type belonged to a five-piece altar garniture made for one of the temples or shrines where the Qianlong emperor and his family worshipped. Altar garnitures were placed in official sites such as the Temple of Ancestors and the Hall of Ancestors situated in the Forbidden City, and in non-official halls including the Shouhuangdian located in Jinshan, the park that lay immediately north of the Shenwu gate within the grounds of the Imperial Palace. A ruby-ground altar set, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, was included in the Museum’s exhibition A Special Exhibition of Incense Burners and Perfumers Throughout the Dynasties, 1994, cat. no. 105.
Garnitures including candlesticks of this type were produced in a variety of media during the Qianlong period. See, for example, a large five-piece bronze garniture, bearing Qianlong reign marks and of the period, illustrated in Qingdai gongting shenghuo (Life in the Forbidden City during the Qing Dynasty), Hong Kong, 1985, p. 299, pl. 467, in situ in the Xianruo Temple, located in the garden of Cining Gong (Hall of Compassion and Tranquility); a cloisonné enamel set placed in front of imperial ancestral portraits and depicted in situ in the Shouhuangdian included ibid., p. 46, pl. 1.5; a millefleurs-decorated famille-rose porcelain set bearing Qianlong reign marks and of the period, from the collections of Richard Bennett Esq. of Thornby Hall and Mrs. Parish Watson of New York, are published in E. Gorer and J. F. Blacker, Chinese Porcelain and Hardstones, vol. II, London, 1911, pl. 200; and a doucai decorated garniture sold in our London rooms, 11th May 2011, lot 250. Compare also a puce-enamelled pair of candlesticks, sold in Sotheby's New York, 23rd September 2020, lot.
Garnitures including candlesticks of this type were produced in a variety of media during the Qianlong period. See, for example, a large five-piece bronze garniture, bearing Qianlong reign marks and of the period, illustrated in Qingdai gongting shenghuo (Life in the Forbidden City during the Qing Dynasty), Hong Kong, 1985, p. 299, pl. 467, in situ in the Xianruo Temple, located in the garden of Cining Gong (Hall of Compassion and Tranquility); a cloisonné enamel set placed in front of imperial ancestral portraits and depicted in situ in the Shouhuangdian included ibid., p. 46, pl. 1.5; a millefleurs-decorated famille-rose porcelain set bearing Qianlong reign marks and of the period, from the collections of Richard Bennett Esq. of Thornby Hall and Mrs. Parish Watson of New York, are published in E. Gorer and J. F. Blacker, Chinese Porcelain and Hardstones, vol. II, London, 1911, pl. 200; and a doucai decorated garniture sold in our London rooms, 11th May 2011, lot 250. Compare also a puce-enamelled pair of candlesticks, sold in Sotheby's New York, 23rd September 2020, lot.