Lot 3610
  • 3610

A FINE AND LARGE BLUE AND WHITE 'LOTUS SCROLL' MOONFLASK SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

Estimate
20,000,000 - 30,000,000 HKD
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Description

  • porcelain
well modelled with a flattened globular body tapering to an oval foot, surmounted by a tall waisted neck flanked by a pair of archaistic dragon handles, boldly painted in vivid tones of cobalt blue with simulated 'heaping and piling', depicting large stylised lotuses and smaller attendant blooms borne on an undulating foliate meander, between pendent ruyi heads and upright lappets, all below a band of plantain leaves at the neck, the mouth and foot encircled by bands of cresting waves, the underside inscribed with a six-character seal mark

Provenance

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 17th May 1988, lot 183.
Christie's Hong Kong, 30th October 1995, lot 668A.
Christie's Hong Kong, 1st December 2010, lot 3057.

Condition

The piece is in fine condition, with just expected original firing lines on the underside of the handles, and an original firing imperfection to the interior of the foot.
"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."

Catalogue Note

The Qianlong Emperor’s connoisseurship of arts is well documented and his vast collection, particularly of ceramics, contained spectacular masterpieces. For its magnificent and expertly painted design the present moonflask would have been amongst his prized possessions. It represents one of the most challenging and advanced pieces made during his reign. The production of exquisitely decorated large and undistorted vessels required considerable expertise from the potter, who for this piece borrowed extensively from archaic forms and decorative motifs while retaining a sense of modernity. Reference to ancient forms and designs was much appreciated by the Qianlong Emperor who embraced art not only for its intrinsic beauty but also to cement his connection to a glorious past. 

The Qianlong Emperor’s generous patronage and personal taste, which tended towards extravagant and showy pieces, greatly influenced the making of technically challenging and artistically complex display pieces. The production of large vessels, which are considerably heavy, required the highest level of technical skill only to be found amongst potters working in the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, under the instructions of China’s preeminent Superintendent, Tang Ying. Imperial records reveal that the Qianlong Emperor habitually asked Tang Ying to design special pieces for him, thus opening avenues for such fine wares to be created.

The decoration on this vase is meticulously executed in the finest cobalt blue. The composition of lotus blooms and foliate scrolls is perfectly balanced through a thorough understanding of the importance of spacing in successfully creating a rich yet not overcrowded design. Such curling lines are offset by the bold geometric nature of the petal and leaf borders, all of which are hemmed in with crashing wave bands around the foot and mouth rim – ingeniously selected as they mirror the curvilinear and geometric forms of the overall design.

Both the shape and decoration of the vessel take their inspiration from early fifteenth century blue and white porcelain that formed part of the imperial collection. The flat circular form has its roots in archaic bronzes which were adapted into porcelain and painted with a luxurious lotus design during the Ming dynasty. In Qinggong neiwufu zaobanchu dang’an, Jiangxi shao ciqi chu [Archival records from the Qing imperial household department workshop, ceramics production in Jiangxi], it is mentioned that in the third year of the Qianlong period (corresponding to 1738), a number of large imperial Xuande blue and white moonflasks was reproduced for decoration (see Zhang Rong (comp.), Yangxindian Zaobanchu shiliao jilan [Reader of historical material on the Workshops in the Hall of Mental Cultivation], vol. 2: Qianlong chao [Qianlong period], Beijing, 2012, pp. 65-68). For a Xuande lotus scroll decorated moonflask of this size, but standing on a very short foot and without handles, see one in the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong, 2008, no. 98. The reference to these early wares is further highlighted on the present piece in the deliberate ‘heaping and piling’ of the cobalt to imitate their predecessor’s mottled effect.

A closely related moonflask was sold in our New York rooms, 20th September 2000, lot 124, and again in these rooms, 2nd May 2005, lot 650; another was sold in these rooms, 29th November 1978, lot 231; a third was sold at Christie’s London, 12th December 1977, lot 164; and another was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 19th January 1988, lot 319. Moonflasks of this type are also known with one central bloom surrounded by eight smaller variations of the lotus in a grid composition and less stylised leaves encircling the neck; see one illustrated in Chinese Porcelain. The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 65; another sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st October 1992, lot 958; and a third sold in these rooms, 24th May 1985, lot 549.

Moonflasks of this dragon-handled form and lotus scroll decoration were also produced with a proportionately smaller neck decorated with a lotus scroll; see a larger example with a flared foot, sold at Christie’s New York, 19th March 2008, lot 606; and a slightly smaller moonflask, but with a shorter foot encircled by three lines and the mouth rim with a lingzhi scroll, sold in these rooms, 30th April 1996, lot 431. For the Yongzheng inspiration to these vases, see one from the collection of Dr Chang Hsi-Hai, sold in our New York rooms, 23rd/24th May 1974, lot 426, and again in these rooms, 16th May 1977, lot 93.