AN INSCRIBED LILAC-GROUND FAMILLE-ROSE DOUBLE-GOURD WALL VASE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

well potted with a flat back, the globular lower bulb rising to a curved waist flanked by a pair of iron-red stylised flanges, set with a smaller upper bulb rising to a slender neck below a lipped mouth, the lower bulb painted with a panel of lingzhi fungus, below stands of narcissus and a nandina bush laden with ripe red berries, the upper bulb inscribed with a poem in clerical script (lishu) and four characters Qianlong yuzhi ('Made by Imperial order for Qianlong'), followed by a Qian trigram seal and another seal reading Long, all reserved on a gradated purple ground, the base inscribed with a four-character reign mark in gilt on an iron-red ground, wood stand

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5th October 2011, lot 1906.

There is a shallow flake to one iron-red flange. The integral iron-red stand has been reduced. There are some surface scratches and wear to the enamels and gilt decoration, but most of the original enamelling has been well preserved.
"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."

This poem, titled Narcissus, is recorded in Yuzhi leshantang quanji dingben [Definitive edition of the complete works by His Majesty from the Hall of Pleasure in Goodness], Siku quanshu [The complete library in four sections] ed., vol. 15, p. 13. The writings in this collection date from before Qianlong became emperor. According to Neiwufu Zaobanchu huoji dang [Archives of the Workshop of the Imperial Household Department], four sets of imperial poems were sent to the imperial kilns in Jiangxi in the seventeenth year of the Qianlong period (corresponding to 1752). Instead of the old Leshantang poems, the Qianlong Emperor ordered the superintendent Tang Ying to select poems from the new sets for the porcelains made thereafter. Therefore, the present wall vase was very likely made no later than 1752.