A RARE DOUCAI 'FLOWERS OF THE FOUR SEASONS' MOONFLASK QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

of flattened globular form with rounded sides rising from a short oval foot to a straight cylindrical neck, set with two lobed arched handles, finely painted on each side in underglaze blue and shades of orange red, rose pink, yellow, aubergine and green enamels with a variety of flowers denoting the cycle of seasons, including a large central peony symbolizing the spring flanked by two lotus and a chrysanthemum evoking the summer and autumn, and a flowering and budding branch of prunus standing for the winter, the boughs arching to form the edges of a large medallion, the sides decorated with interlocked foliate scrolls of lotus and florets extending across the base of the neck, the handles picked out with a composite floral spray and outlined with a blue border, all between a band of pendent yellow-ground ruyi suspending tassels at the rim and a 'classic' scroll encircling the foot, the recessed base left plain

A French private estate collection (by repute).

There is a hairline crack surrounding the foot indicating that the base has possibly been restuck (with the original piece) or made separately. The mouth has some light wear, possibly slightly polished. Apart from some surface scratches and expected minor enamel loss, the overall condition is otherwise quite good.
"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."

Qianlong period vessels decorated in the doucai technique are rare, and moonflasks of this form and decoration are even more unusual. Only one other flask attributed to the Qianlong period, of the same shape and decoration is known: in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 243. Both flasks closely copy a slightly earlier, Yongzheng period, flask in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Qingdai ciqi shangjian, Shanghai, 1994, pl. 74.

This moonflask echoes the past in many ways. The doucai painting style with its delicate drawing in fine blue outlines and its colouration in polychrome washes was the archetypical style of decoration in the Chenghua reign (1465-1487), when the colours were still limited to a few bright shades. It was only around the 1720s, during the Kangxi period, that the wide range of tones, as seen on the present example, became available and started being used on Qing ceramics. The shape of the flask is also inspired by early Ming examples, as mentioned in the notes to the Palace Museum vessel, ibid., p. 205; see a Yongle blue-and-white flask illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji, vol. 12, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 17.

For examples of Qianlong doucai moonflasks of varying form and decoration, see one in the Tianjin Museum, illustrated in Gems of the Doucai, Taipei, 1993, pl. 116, painted with a figural scene in the centre surrounded by formal flower scrolls; another with a dense lotus scroll decoration and hydra-shaped handles on the neck, from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, op.cit., pl. 247; and a circular form flask with ruyi handles, painted with large blossoming peonies, chrysanthemums and wintersweets on one side and calligraphy on the other, sold in our London rooms, 14^th November 2001, lot 116, with its pair, from the collection of the Rt. Hon. The Lord Margadale of Islay,  T.D., at Fonthill House, Tisbury, Wiltshire, England, also sold in our London rooms, 16^th June 1998, lot 289.