A massive doucai 'dragon' baluster vase, Qing Dynasty, Yongzheng period

Collection of Hélène Bui Quang Chieu (b. 1936).

French Private Collection.

Sotheby's Paris, 15th December 2011, lot 179.

The present vase is impressive for its large size and vibrant design which has been finely rendered in the visually exquisite doucai enamels. It is related to a baluster form vase similarly flanked by a pair of handles of qilong form and painted with the design of a single dragon amongst colourful clouds, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, collection no. C1356.1910, and its pair offered in our Hong Kong rooms, 5^th October 2011, lot 1947. See also a bottle-form vase painted with bats circling amongst multi-hued doucai cloud scrolls sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 16^th May 1989, lot 299, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 29/30^th October 2001, lot 840; and a doucai jar with the bats and clouds motif published in Chinese Porcelain. The S.C.Ko Tianminlou Collection, Part II, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 115.

See also a Qianlong mark and period moonflask decorated with the design of dragons and clouds in doucai enamels, from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 241.

The use of the doucai method of decoration was favoured by early Qing emperors, especially Yongzheng and Qianlong, who were fond of wares made during the reign of the Chenghua emperor (1465-1487) of the Ming dynasty. The doucai painting style, with its delicate drawing in fine blue outline and its colouration in polychrome washes was the archetypical style of decoration in the Chenghua period. The beauty of Chenghua porcelain, with doucai wares regarded as most exquisite and special was appreciated by the Qing rulers who saw objects decorated in this manner as pieces that evoked the glorious past. The manufacture of this vase also reflects an appreciation for Ming wares and pays homage to one of the greatest eras in the history of Chinese ceramics.