An extremely rare puce and blue-enamelled ‘dragon’ handled vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong | 清乾隆　胭脂紅藍料雲龍戲珠紋象耳瓶　《大清乾隆年製》款

Striking for its vibrant contrast between the vivid puce-enamelled dragons and the brilliant blue clouds and waves, the present vase appears to be unique. No other closely related example of this exact form and dual-colour palette appears to have been published. The restriction of the palette to only puce and blue enamels is an exceptionally rare decorative scheme on Qing imperial porcelain, making this vase a fascinating testament to the innovative spirit and technical mastery of the imperial kilns during the Qianlong period.

The use of puce enamel to depict imperial dragons has a highly specific and prestigious lineage rooted in the Zaobanchu during the preceding Yongzheng reign. The Yongzheng Emperor personally commissioned the Beijing palace workshops to replicate underglaze copper-red dragon vases using newly developed overglaze enamels. To do justice to the mottled effect of underglaze copper red, the court enamellers utilised a specially prepared deep puce enamel, achieving a remarkable sense of volume and movement through complex shading and stippling. See an imperial puce-enamel falangcai ‘dragon’ vase, included in the Fiftieth Anniversary Exhibition of Eskenazi, illustrated in Twelve Chinese Masterworks, London, 2010, cat. no. 12; and another closely related Yongzheng puce-enamel falangcai dragon vase sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8th April, lot 3615.

The present Qianlong vase brilliantly inherits this exacting imperial legacy. The dynamic five-clawed dragons on this vessel are rendered with the same sophisticated stippling and shading techniques pioneered in the Yongzheng palace workshops, giving the mythical beasts a powerful, three-dimensional presence. However, this vase also represents a distinct Qianlong evolution: the dramatic juxtaposition of the puce dragons against swirling clouds and crashing waves painted in a brilliant, jewel-like blue enamel. The addition of the blue-enamelled elephant-head handles further imbues the vessel with auspicious meaning, representing the rebus Taiping youxiang, or ‘peace and prosperity in the universe’.

While no exact comparable vase is known, this highly unusual puce and blue palette can be found on a very select group of imperial objects from the same period. See a pair of puce-enamelled and underglaze blue baluster vases with elephant handles in the Tokyo National Museum, illustrated in Tokubetsu ten Chūgoku no tōji /Special Exhibition Chinese Ceramics, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1994, cat. no. 341.

本品胭脂紅龍紋與明豔藍料祥雲海水紋形成強烈對比，色彩絢麗，奪目生輝，似為孤品。目前查閱海內外已公開之資料，未見其他同類器型並採用雙色料彩之完全相同的作品發表。僅以胭脂紅與藍料兩色作為主體裝飾，在清代御窰瓷器中極為罕見，足見乾隆時期御窰廠推陳出新之卓越工藝與巧思。

以胭脂紅料繪製御製龍紋，其淵源可追溯至前朝雍正時期內務府造辦處。雍正帝曾親自下令北京宮廷作坊，以新創之釉上彩料仿製景德鎮的釉裏紅龍紋瓷器。為重現釉裏紅自然暈散與深淺不一的效果，宮廷畫師採用了特製的深邃胭脂紅料，透過極為繁複的點染與濃淡暈染技法，賦予龍紋強烈的立體感與動態。參考一件御製胭脂紅琺瑯彩龍紋瓶，曾展於埃斯卡納齊五十週年紀念展，著錄於《Twelve Chinese Masterworks》，倫敦，2010年，編號12；另見一件極為相近之雍正胭脂紅琺瑯彩龍紋瓶，售於香港蘇富比，4月8日，拍品編號3615。

此胭脂紅藍料雲龍戲珠紋象耳瓶完美傳承了前朝工藝並在此基礎上更進一步發展。瓶身所繪五爪游龍，正是運用了源自雍正造辦處的精細點染技法，令神獸躍然瓷上，威風凜凜。同時，本品亦展現了乾隆時期的藝術突破：將嬌豔的胭脂紅龍紋，置於如寶石般明豔的藍料祥雲與海水之中，形成極具戲劇張力的視覺效果。頸部兩側飾以藍料象耳，更添吉祥寓意，取「太平有象」之瑞意。

縱然目前未見完全相同之瓶例，此種罕見的胭脂紅與藍料配色可見於同時期極少數的御製器物上。參考東京國立博物館蓄一對清乾隆胭脂紅彩拼青花象耳尊，著錄於《特別展—中国の陶磁》，東京，1994年，編號341。