A RARE BLUE AND WHITE FLORAL VASE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

the finely potted body tapering to a slightly splayed foot, rising to a slender neck flanked by a pair of crisply moulded elephant-head handles, finely painted in soft tones of underglaze-blue with a peony meander on dense scrolling stems, the full-petalled blooms delicately picked out in finely pencilled lines and interspersed with opening and closed buds, above a band of upright leaf lappets and below a row of buds, the shoulder decorated with upright leaf lappets and a key-fret, with pendant jewels suspending down from the rim, inscribed with the six-character seal mark in underglaze-blue 

The overall condition is very good with only a minute 2mm firing line with a tiny glaze flake to one of the tusks of one of the elephant handles. The same elephant handle has a tiny pinprick on the tip of the other tusk.
"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."

This vase is unique in its combination of Chinese and Western elements. The shape, the detailed painting of the flowers and leaves with their subtle tonal gradations, the elephant-head handles and the reign mark are all exclusive to porcelains made for the court by the imperial workshops of Jingdezhen. The opulent, naturalistic rendering of the flowering meander in full-bloom and the geometric design bands encircling the base of the neck of the vase is rarely encountered and would have required an expert porcelain painter trained in Western decorative styles.

Quintessentially Chinese in subject, in style the peonies on the present vase reflect the Western painting tradition which was made popular through Jesuit painters working for the court. The individual treatment and three-dimensional quality created through light and shade suggest modelling, while the range of tonal nuances and contrasts give the flowers and leaves a luminosity and volume. For an example of a painting with similarly rendered flowers by the famous Jesuit court painter Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), see Vase of Flowers illustrated in Michel Beurdeley, Castiglione, peintre jesuite a la Cour de Chine, Fribourg, 1971, p. 128. The attempt to combine Western styles with a traditional Chinese motif is further evident in the composition of the floral meander. While Chinese flower scrolls generally curl continuously around the entire body, the meander of the present piece has a clear break at the sides, which also suggests it was intended to be viewed from the front.

In addition to the demanding decorative motif, the form of this vase is a reflection of the high technical standard achieved by the potters working in the Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen. The Qianlong emperor is known to have commissioned artists producing wares for the court to make pieces that were challenging and impressive, often placing more emphasis on the showier aspects of production and on the virtuosity of craftsmanship. Under his guidance the refinement of the material and craftsmanship allowed potters to become ambitious in their repertoire and thus create complex pieces that were innovative and unique. The present vase appears to have been inspired by a Yongzheng vase of similar form, but with a taller waisted foot, and decorated with a flower scroll and stiff leaves in the 15^th century style; see one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red III, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 85.

It is rare to find blue-and-white vases with elephant handles, although one of more globular form, but similarly decorated with related pendant jewels and upright leaves on the neck, was sold in our New York rooms, 22^nd March 1995, lot 287. Vases of this form are known in famille rose; for example see two famille rose versions, painted with bats amidst a feathery peony scroll, sold in our London rooms, 14^th July 1981, lot 122, and 15^th June 1982, lot 378. Two ruby-ground famille rose examples were sold in these rooms, 20^th May 1981, lot 873, and 19^th May 1982, lot 342; and a pair of pink-ground wall vases of this form, but with slightly different elephant-head handles and decorated with panels of blossoming peony branches, was sold at Christie's New York, 3^rd June 1988, lot 305.

The 'king of flowers', the peony is one of the most popular botanical motifs of China, associated with royalty as it was grown in the imperial gardens of the Sui and Tang dynasties and equivalent to the first rank among officials. Among the many names for it is 'flower of wealth and honour' (fuguihua), which derives from the essay 'On [my] Passion for the Lotus' (Ailian shuo) by the famous Song-dynasty philosopher Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073).