A RARE IMPERIAL ENAMEL 'FLOWER BALL' VASE, GU MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG |

elegantly proportioned based on the archaic bronze gu wine vessel, the elongated body with a bulbous middle section rising up to a slender neck and a trumpet mouth, the crisp white ground enamelled with colourful famille-rose 'flower balls' and tiny florettes randomly scattered over the body, the neck and foot further collared with green upright and pendent plantains, the interior of the mouth enamelled pale turquoise, the mouth and foot rims and vertical flanges on the belly set-off in gilt, the base inscribed in red with a four-character reign mark within a double square

The overall condition is very good, with very little wear to the gilding and the enamelling.
"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."

The present gu-form vase is closely related to a vessel in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, Taipei, 1999, pl. 140, of the same form and painted floret decoration but of much larger size. Similar floret motifs can be seen on a painted enamel yu vessel with loop handles included ibid., pl. 139; on three large vases, from the Qing Court collection and now in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Zhongguo jin yin boli falangqi quanji, falanqi (II) [Complete works of Chinese gold, silver, glass and enamelware: Enamelware (II)], vol. 6, Shijiazhuang, 2002, pls 158-160; and on a loop-handled teapot illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 199. Compare also the decoration found on a Qianlong mark and period enamel foliate bowl and cover sold in our New York rooms, 26th November 1991, lot 397. A pair of globular ewers in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, with similar decoration, but unmarked, is published in Liu Liang-yin, Chinese Enamel ware, Its History, Authentication and Conservation, Taipei, 1978, p. 74 (top).  A painted enamel bowl with a very similar design and with a Qianlong four-character mark in red enamel was included in the exhibition Chinese Painted Enamels of the Eighteenth Century, The Chinese Porcelain Company, New York, 1993, cat. no. 12. This bowl is identified as having been made in Guangzhou. Furthermore, it is also proposed that the bowl and other vessels painted with a similar design may have originated from the same workshop and were most likely made for the court as tribute items.

The colourful floret medallion motif first appeared during the Yongzheng period and became especially popular by the Qianlong reign. See a Yongzheng globular vase illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pl. 45; and a bowl sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 31st October 2000, lot 912. For Qianlong examples, see a globular jar sold in our rooms, 1st May 2001, lot 562.

For examples of painted enamel gu-form vessels see a pair sold at Christie's London, 8th November 2005, lot 61; and another, with a Qianlong four-character mark in red on its base, sold in these rooms, 30th November 1980, lot 585.