A RARE ENAMELLED 'FIGURES AND LANDSCAPE' GLASS CUP BLUE ENAMEL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

of guyuexuan ('ancient moon pavilion') type, with deep rounded sides resting on a short foot, the exterior finely enamelled with an idyllic setting detailed with a river stream surrounded by tall overhanging trees and mountainous cliffs, the scene further set with architectural elements such as pavilions and bridges, two figures depicted conversing with each other on a bridge, another solitarily seated at one end of a boat and fishing, the base enamelled in blue with a four-character reign mark within a double-square

Christie’s New York, 4th June 1987, lot 327.
Jingguantang collection.
Christie's Hong Kong, 3rd November 1996, lot 509. 

Good condition. The enamels are preserved very well. There are two minor imperfections from the firing process - a minuscule area on the footring and an area of approx 1cm confined to the undecorated interior.
"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."

It is rare to find glass wares enamelled with landscape designs, and this cup, decorated with such a 'painterly' landscape, represents wares possibly inspired by traditional handscroll paintings made by court artists in the Imperial workshops. This type of enamelled landscape decoration on glass found its greatest expression on a small number of enamelled glass wares inscribed with wheel-cut four-character Qianlong marks, including two glass cups in the Percival David Foundation, London, illustrated in Illustrated Catalogue of Qing Enamelled Wares in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, Revised Edition 1991, p. 32, nos. 850 and 851, and two 'landscape' brushpots, one from the Percival David Foundation, illustrated ibid. p.36, no. 854, and another from the collection of J. Insley Blair, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th November 2012, lot 2124.

An enamelled glass bottle vase, similarly decorated with a vivid continuous landscape design, but differing from the current cup in being inscribed with a Qianlong seal mark in red enamel, formerly in the collection of Dunan Beresford-Jones, was sold at Christie's London, 6th June 2000, lot 208, and again in these rooms, 2nd May 2005, lot 553.

For enamelled glass wares similarly inscribed with four-character Qianlong marks in blue enamel, but not within a double square, compare two vases decorated with pheasants and flowers, one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhang Rong, ed., Luster of Autumn Water. Glass of the Qing Imperial Workshops, Beijing, 2005, pp. 250-251, pl. 84, the other sold in these rooms, 11th April 2008, lot 2846, and offered again in this sale, lot 3621.