A PAIR OF LARGE CLOISONNE ENAMEL DOUBLE GOURD WALL VASES QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD |

each with a broad, rounded lower body tapering at the waist before rising to the compressed upper bulb below the surmounting register, rounded and with a scalloped rim, the top register with colorful C-scrolls and ruyi against a cobalt blue ground, the upper bulb centered with gilt characters Da Ji encircled by the 'Eight Daoist Emblems', the lower register centered by a lingzhi head-form gilt plaque inscribed with a poem and signed yuzhi shiju / Wang Jihua gongji with one seal, flanked by four of the Buddhist emblems on either side, all against a dense ground of scrolled clouds picked out in gilt and set on a bright blue ground, the reverse with a plain gilt surface and a single rectangular aperture, mounted on a gilt-bronze demilune base cast with bats and clouds in relief, further raised on a conforming bracket foot (2) 

Acquired in the 1960s, and thence by descent.

Each vase has scattered small areas of cracked, dented, or lost enamels, particularly to the red borders at the upper section which have been in-filled. The enamels have been characteristic pitting, some overspray. The screws for the stands are likely replaced.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

For an inscribed imperial Qianlong cloisonné enamel wall vase in the form of a moonflask, now preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, see Qing fa lang qi zhan lan tu lu/Enamel ware in the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties, Taipei, 1999, cat. no. 46. A cloisonné enamel wall vase attributed to the Qianlong period, with a similar inscribed plaque and mounted stand was sold at Sotheby's Tokyo, 1st-3rd October 1969, lot 230. Compare the present lot with an inscribed cloisonné enamel baluster vase, sold at Christie's Hong Kong 30th May 2005, lot 1220, and an inscribed handled cloisonné enamel hu vase, from the collection of Alfred Morrison, sold at Christie's London, 9th November 2004, lot 52.