A BRILLIANTLY ENAMELLED FAMILLE-ROSE ‘CHRYSANTHEMUM’ CUP MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

finely potted with a slightly rounded conical body rising from a short foot, the exterior delicately enamelled with a branch bearing three large chrysanthemum blooms and one flowering bud, the flowers intricately depicted in a brilliant vermillion-red and pastel yellow and outlined in red and pink respectively, the long leafy stem enamelled in various shades of green, the interior with two freely floating delicate florets, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double circle

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7th May 2002, lot 535.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 23rd October 2005, lot 435.

The cup is in good condition and the enamels are particularly vivid and brilliant. There is a short Y-shaped firing hairline crack measuring approx. 0.2 cm to the base between two columns of the reign mark.
"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."

Elegantly restrained in its design of two brightly coloured stalks of chrysanthemum, the present cup appears to have been inspired by famille verte cups of the Kangxi period, which were sparsely decorated with branches of fruit or flowers. The unusual thick coloured outlines of the flowers heighten the sense of naturalism, particularly on the iron red bloom which is painted in the ‘boneless style’, relying only on the varying tones of colour rather than a black outline to delineate forms.

A smaller Yongzheng cup decorated with similarly painted chrysanthemums, in the Wang Xing Lou collection, is illustrated in Imperial Perfection. The Palace Porcelain of Three Chinese Emperors, Hong Kong, 2004, cat. no. 51.

This cup is a superb example of the high artistic standards achieved by the enamellers at the Jingdezhen kilns during the Yongzheng period. Along with an increased interest in the pureness of the porcelain body and the manner in which motifs were rendered, a greater emphasis was given to more naturalistic compositions on white ground than formal bands of floral decoration. Compare cups of slightly smaller size, sparsely painted with two stalks of poppies in full bloom and a bud, such as one from the Sir Percival David collection and now in the British Museum, London, illustrated by Rosemary Scott, Qing Enamelled Wares, London, 1991, pl. 821; and another, sold in our New York rooms, 16th September 2009, lot 205.

This palette and style of decoration continued into the Qianlong period, as seen on a pair of yangcai meiping vases, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the exhibition Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the Ch’ien-lung Reign, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2008, cat. no. 56.