Vase mural ovoïde à décor de pivoines dans un cartouche sur fond jaune Chine, dynastie Qing, marque et époque Qianlong (1736-1795)

de forme balustre, finement décoré d'un médaillon central de branches de chrysanthèmes, entouré d'un décor stylisé de fleurs de lotus roses, de deux chauve-souris et de rinceaux feuillagés polychromes, deux anses figurant des dragons, la base se terminant par une frise de ruyi posée sur une base ajourée or et corail, l'intérieur blanc, la base émaillée corail figurant un socle, marque en or à la base

The enamels are very well fired. There is a tiny blackened pin (<1mm) on the white glaze, above the left branch of the peony inside the cartouche, and another tiny near the cartouche edge to the white. Otherwise the vase is in exceptionally good state. Please feel free to use the zoom feature on our internet site www.sothebys.com to see better details of the item than on the catalogue photographs.
"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."

The present 'famille rose' vase is an exceptional example of the innovative and unconventional designs achieved in ceramics manufacturing during Qianlong's reign. The Qianlong emperor had a unique approach to ceramics designs and challenged artists working in the Imperial kilns and Jingdezhen and in the enamelling workshops belonging to the Zaobanchu (Imperial Palace Workshop) to make pieces that were technically innovative and unconventional in their aesthetics. This vase, with the dragon handles and the pierced base imitating a stand could easily be mistaken for a regular bottle vase.

Wall vases were used to decorate the many halls and private quarters of the Forbidden City. See a wall vase in situ illustrated in Qingdai gongting shenghuo (Life in the Palace During the Qing Dynasty), Hong Kong, 1985, pp. 148-9. Further examples of wall vases, from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, are included in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, pls. 313-315, of which pls. 313 and 315 bear similar four-character Qianlong reign marks on the base. A pair of gourd-shaped wall vases painted with related floral design in panels, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 142. Another pair of Qianlong wall vases of square-form, also decorated with flowers in a rectangular panel, from the collection of Dr. Ip Yee, was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 1^st November 1974, lot 326, and again, 19^th November 1984, lot 222. Recently, a pair of Qianlong mark and period wall vases, modelled in the form of a pipa tucked  in a simulated brocade bag tied at the neck, was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8^th April 2007, lot 516.