A RARE CHINESE 'FAMILLE-ROSE' 'MILLEFLEURS' ALTAR GARNITURE QIANLONG SEAL MARKS AND PERIOD

comprising a censer raised on three cabriole legs and set with curved upright handles, with a later carved and pierced wood cover set with a rock crystal finial, a pair of candlesticks and a pair of gu vases, each piece finely painted with a dense pattern of colorful flowerheads within gilt rims, the interiors and the undersides of the bases enamelled in turquoise. 6 pieces.

Richard Bennett, Esq., D.L., Thornby Hall, Thornby, Northamptonshire, from circa 1900.
Edgar Gorer, London, 1910
The Collection of Judge Elbert H. Gary, New York (by 1911).
American Art Association, Inc., New York, 19th April, 1928, lot 58.
Parish-Watson & Co., New York.
French & Company, New York.

Edgar Gorer and J. F. Blacker, Chinese Porcelains and Hardstones, London, 1911, vol. II, pl. 200.

The censer: The neck has been broken apart from the body and glued back on just above the narrow iron-red band. There is also a minor fine hairline-crack running down from the break approximately 4 1/2 inches. One foot has been broken and restored. Some scattered patches of flaking, mainly on the pink enamels. The later carved wood cover has been broken into large pieces and fixed back together. There are chips to the rock crystal finial. The candlesticks: One is in good condition. The upper drip tray on the other piece has been broken into multiple pieces and restored. There is a small made-up area around the rim. There is a 1/2 inch restuck chip on the top edge of the base beneath the larger drip tray. It's possible the piece has been apart at this point, which it where it was originally joined. The vases: One has come apart just above the bulbous section and below the mark, where the luting line was. There are some very minor patches of flaking to the enamels, most noticeable just above the edge of the base. The other vase has a 2 1/2 inch hairline crack running from a small restored chip on the rim. There is a vertical scratch running from the upper part of the foot through the waisted section into the bulbous section; this does not appear to be a crack. There is a 1 1/2 inch area of restoration along the top edge of the bulbous section at the back.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Complete altar garnitures are rare, and the present example appears to be the only known complete set in a millefleurs pattern. The complex and colorful decoration is extremely striking in combination with the simple, bold metalwork-derived forms of these devotional pieces and it is likely that the luxuriant flower decoration was intended to symbolize prosperity, a subject not inappropriate for an Imperial altar garniture. Millefleurs patterns first appear on wares made during the reign of the Yongzheng emperor, but seem to have reached a pinnacle of quality during the Qianlong period, as subsequent Jiaqing and Daoguang marked examples tend to be less finely executed. 

Unsurprisingly, given the complex nature of the decoration, and the resultant skill and time required for their execution, millefleurs patterns are also very rarely found on wares of the scale of the present examples. Most closely related in size are a vase from the Grandidier Collection, now in the Guiment Museum, illustrated by M. Beurdeley and G. Raindre, Qing Porcelain - Famille Verte, Famille Rose, London, 1987, pp. 118-9, no. 164; and a beaker in the Liaoning Provincial Museum, illustrated in The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, Shanghai, 1999-2000, vol. 15, no. 37. The latter vase is also marked on the exterior and may have originally been part of a larger garniture set.

The present garniture has a distinguished provenance to two important collections. Richard Bennett (b. 1849) was a major collector of books and manuscripts as well as Chinese porcelain, and appears to have acquired many of his pieces direct from sources in China in the late 19th century. Much of his collection was sold through Edgar Gorer in 1911 to William Hesketh Lever, whilst the present garniture was already in the possession of the American Judge Elbert H. Gary by 1911, when Gorer and Blacker published their extensive two volume work Chinese Porcelains and Hardstones, in which the present garniture is illustrated. Gary (1846-1927) was an integral force behind the founding of U.S. Steel in 1901, for which he brought together J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie and Charles M. Schwab. The steel town of Gary, Indiana was named for him on its founding in 1906. He lived in New York in grand style and collected primarily under the influence of Sir Joseph Duveen. The sale of his decorative arts alone was conducted over three days and his Chinese ceramics warranted a separate introduction in the auction catalogue.