AN EXTREMELY RARE AND FINELY ENAMELLED BEIJING ENAMEL MINIATURE VASE MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

the finely cast ovoid body brilliantly enamelled with four yellow-ground panels respectively depicting two bats in flight amid a branch bearing nine peaches, a pair of magpies perched on bamboo and flowering rose branches, two finches on a peach tree, and two butterflies fluttering above lotus blooms and pads, all within floral borders against a blue enamel scroll ground, the angled shoulder flanked with two ferocious gilt dragons, with further scroll borders at the neck and everted mouthrim, the rim delicately incised with fine scrolling floral scrolls, the base incised with the four-character mark

Christie's Hong Kong, 29th April 2001, lot 558.

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Chinese Painted Enamels, An Exhibition held in the Department of Eastern Art, June-July 1978, cat.no.34, and illustrated on the back cover.

This vase is in excellent condition with very strong and vibrant enamels.
"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."

No other vase of this size and design is known and the quality of the painting and the casting rank this piece among the finest Beijing enamel wares.  Given the comparatively short reign of the Yongzheng emperor, Beijing enamel wares of the period are much scarcer than those produced during the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns.

One larger version of this vase (21.3cm) is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the exhibition Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, 1989, cat.no.98, and displays similar dragon appliques and incised feathery scrolls on the mouthrim (fig.1).  In terms of shape and proportion, the prototype of this vase can be found in cloisonné enamel wares of the early 15th century, such as one example in the Pierre Uldry Collection, decorated with a lotus scroll, illustrated by H. Brinker and A. Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, pl.9.

Beijing enamel vessels with alternating panels of flowering branches, often depicting birds or bats, seem to have been particularly favoured under the reign of the Yongzheng emperor, compare for example a basin and spittoon in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, and included in the exhibition Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, 1999, cat.no.103 and 104 respectively.