A LARGE IMPERIAL ENAMEL 'EUROPEAN-SUBJECT' INCENSE BURNER AND COVER SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG |

modelled after an archaic bronze fangding vessel, the body rising to a broad shoulder and waisted neck, surmounted by a galleried rim supporting a pair of handles, all resting on four removable tubular legs, each side of the body centred with a raised cartouche skilfully depicting a mirror image of the opposite side, each of the longer sides decorated with three figures dressed in European attire against an idyllic scene with verdant trees and a lake, each of the shorter ones with gourds and flowering blooms borne on leafy stems, separated by clusters of multi-coloured blooms borne on undulating leafy stems against a stippled blue ground, the exquisite motif extensively repeated on the upper rim, handles and legs, the legs further accentuated with cicada lappets, all below floral and foliate bands collaring the rim and neck, the base enamelled white and centred with a blue six-character seal mark within a square, the stepped cover with rounded edges, the surface decorated with clusters of stylised floral blooms borne on meandering scrolling foliage, further detailed with two reticulated bands, all below a stylised gilt-bronze finial supported on a yellow-enamelled floral base, the interior of the vessel and cover enamelled turquoise

The incense burner and cover are in overall good condition, with just minute flakes and tiny areas of retouching. There is some additional retouching to the lower areas of the legs. The legs have been refixed to the interior. There is an enamel gap at the top of one leg. Other general surface wear, minor dents and slight rubbing to the gilding.
"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 large and opulently decorated covered incense burner, modelled in the form of an archaic bronze fangding vessel, would have been commissioned by the Imperial court from workshops at Guangzhou. Since the technique of enamelling on metal was introduced by Jesuit missionaries residing in Guangzhou around 1684, the craftsmen of Guangzhou proved so proficient in the new craft that by 1716 the Kangxi Emperor is known to have summoned two artisans from there to work in the enamel workshop of the Imperial Household Department in the Palace. By the Qianlong Emperor’s reign, the art of enamelling on metal had reached exceptionally high standards, and this art form continued to receive the Emperor’s foremost interest and patronage. The distinctive seal mark on the underside of the incense burner, enamelled in blue in zhuanshu (seal script), is also found on a European-subject enamelled vase illustrated by Yang Boda in the catalogue to the exhibition Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1987, cat. no. 44, where the original archival records of the Guangdong Maritime Customs Office and Imperial Household Workshop are discussed. These reveal the extent to which the Imperial Household oversaw the process of production, including the Emperor himself approving specimens of the seal marks. For other examples of Qianlong reign-marked Guangzhou-enamelled metalwork decorated with European subject matters, see a vase in the British Museum, illustrated in Soame Jenyns and William Watson, Chinese Art II, New York, 1980, p. 162, pl. 113 and a fangzun-shaped vase from the collection of Arthur Harris, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 24th November 2012, lot 540.