AN EXCEPTIONAL AND RARE CLOISONNE ENAMEL 'QILIN' ZUN MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG |

the mythical animal recumbent with the tail curled alongside its rear haunches, its bridled head well-cast with a single gilt horn, slightly raised and turned characteristically over the back, elaborately caparisoned and supporting on its back a baluster vase decorated with lotus sprays against a turquoise ground, its body brightly enamelled in sage-green accentuated with gilt 'fur' and florets, the forehead with a gilt-bronze rectangle cast in intaglio with a four-character reign mark

Christie's Hong Kong, 28th April 1996, lot 19.
Collection of Ann and Gordon Getty.

Good overall condition, with just typical surface wear and minor rubbing to the surface. The mouth of the zun vase is slightly dented. As expected, there are minor areas of retouching.
"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."

Cloisonné enamel representations of exotic mythical beasts rank amongst the highest quality of all Imperial enamel workmanship created for the Qianlong court. The current example, majestically modelled in the form of a qilin with an auspicious zun saddled on its back, is a superb example in a dynamic posture, skilfully depicting the bristling lifelike quality and impending movement of the figure. The enamelling of the figure is of exceptional quality, skilfully modelled and enamelled in brilliant cloisons, with no expense spared to the lavish gilding throughout. It is especially notable for the rare four-character mark, intricately cast in intaglio and skilfully incorporated into the noseband of the bridle. Only a small number of Qianlong cloisonné enamel animal-form vessels of this quality is preserved in museum collections. The closest related example from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing is a cockerel-form vase supporting a zun and resting on elaborate wheels, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, no. 122. It has the more commonly found mark incised in a cartouche on the underside.

Compare also a figure of a mythical beast (tianlu) similarly cast with a zun on its back in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, incised under the body with a four-character Qianlong mark, illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasty, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1999, no. 43. For other Qianlong cloisonné enamel reign-marked animal figures of similar quality sold at auction, see the crouching tiger from the collection of General Charles George Gordon, sold at Christie's London, 5th December 1994, lot 259 and again at Sotheby's London, 9th November 2011, lot 400, from the collection of Sir Peter Moores, and a pair of duck-form ewers from the collection of Juan Jose Amezaga, sold at Christie’s Paris, 13th June 2007, lot 24.

For an unmarked cloisonne enamel figure of a qilin attributed to the Qianlong period, see the example in the collection of the Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, illustrated in Beatrice Quette ed., Cloisonne: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, New York, 2011, p. 278, cat. no. 107.