A PAIR OF LARGE 'FAMILLE ROSE' SGRAFFIATO-GROUND BALUSTER VASES QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

each elegant ovoid body rising from a short straight foot to a tall waisted neck with everted rim, finely and brightly enamelled around the exterior with a leafy undulating floral scroll of full-blown lotus, clematis and hibiscus flowers, all reserved on a green sgraffiato ground, the shoulder moulded in high relief with brightly enamelled and gilt sinuous chilong clambering up and around the neck, the interior and base covered with a turquoise glaze

This brightly enamelled pair of vases are in very good condition with the exception of a circa 4 x 1.5cm., area of overpainting to the rim of one and light rubbing to the gilding of the rims of both.
"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."

Large vases painted in this exquisite manner that incorporate Western techniques and traditional Chinese decorative patterns are rare and no other example of this form appears to have been published. Related examples of larger size and slightly different proportions have been sold at auction; see a pair of vases from the collection of W.W. Winkworth, sold in these rooms, 12^th December 1972, lot 177; and another pair sold in these rooms, 12^th November 2003, lot 258, and again in our Hong Kong rooms, 2^nd May 2005, lot 726. A Qianlong mark and period example was also sold in these rooms, 10^th November 2010, lot 288.

The decorative technique employed on this vase is in the style of Imperial marked porcelains and is first explained by Tang Ying in his work, A Brief Account of Ceramics, where he notes that yangcai wares should be classified as falang glazes with Western painting styles (see the National Palace Museum exhibition catalogue Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the Ch'ien-lung Reign, Taipei, 2008, p. 33). The flowers on this piece are painted with Western shading techniques that give the composition a sense of three-dimensionality. White pigment is used on the leaves and flower petals to emphasise light and shade and the overall pattern is influenced by Western-style floral compositions often seen on 17^th century Limoges wares. See a pair of similarly decorated vases in the National Palace Museum, included in the exhibition ibid., cat. no. 33; together with a square-form vase decorated with a flower scroll motif on a yellow ground, cat. no. 34; and a large famille-rose fishbowl painted with similar leafy lotus scrolls sold in these rooms, 13^th May 2009, lot 205.

The sumptuousness of these vases is heightened by the sgraffiato ground and sinuous bodies of the applied chilong dragons. Sgraffiato work involved carving a formal design into a solid background colour. Although this technique was developed in Beijing, in Jingdezhen this style was elevated to a primary decoration and was perfected through the delicate needlepoint engraving of scrollwork, which conveys the impression of rich brocade.

For a celadon-ground vase painted in gilt with scrolling fronds and four related chilong dragons crawling over the body, see one illustrated in The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, vol. 15, pt. II, Shanghai, 1999, lot 26.