16th Apr, 2026 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
175
† AN IMPERIAL BLUE AND WHITE 'PHOENIX AND DRAGON' DOUBLE VASE AND COVER, QIANLONG MARK AND OF THE PERIOD
€30,000
€60,000
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
Expert’s note:
When the present lot was offered by Christie’s in Paris on 13 June 2018, lot 82, it prompted substantial scholarly discussion. The debate involved museum and auction-house specialists, as well as prominent private collectors from China, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, many of whom considered the work to be genuinely of the period, despite Christie’s rather conservative dating to around 1900. Acquired on that occasion by Jules Speelman, after a fierce bidding war, the piece now returns to the market as part of a gradual rebalancing of his extensive holdings of Chinese art.
Jules Speelman personally considers the present work to be Qianlong mark and period. A copy of a provenance statement reflecting this view, written and signed by Jules Speelman, dated 16 February 2026, accompanies the lot.
China, 1736-1795. Shaped as a pair of conjoined baluster vases, the body is decorated with a continuous band depicting two phoenixes and archaistic kui dragons, framed below by a band of stylized banana leaves and petals and above by a lappet band and scrolls. The lid is topped with two knob-shaped handles rising from stylized flames.
The base bears a horizontal six-character seal mark da Qing Qianlong nianzhi.
Provenance: Previously in a French private collection, acquired in the French art market in the 1960s-1970s, and thence by descent. The Property of a French private collector, acquired from the above. Christie’s Paris, 13 June 2018, lot 82, sold for EUR 150,000 or approx. EUR 176,000 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). The private collection of Jules Speelman, London, acquired from the above.
In its auction catalogue, Christie’s dated the present lot to the early 20th century and described the reign mark as apocryphal, assigning a notably low estimate. This was quickly exceeded in the saleroom by bidders who clearly believed the piece to be of the period.
Jules Speelman is a world-leading dealer and collector of East Asian art with 60 years of experience. In 1964 he joined his late father, Alfred, in the family business which already stretched back three generations to 19th century Holland and expanded into England around the turn of the century. Originally, A & J Speelman dealt with antiques, from European ceramics, silver, tapestries, and furniture to Chinese porcelain, and works of art. With his father, Jules gradually shifted the focus towards Asia and under Jules Speelman's skilled direction, A & J Speelman is now considered amongst the foremost dealers in Asian antiques, with a particular emphasis on figurative sculpture and works of art from the past 2000 years.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and minimal firing irregularities. Few light scratches and minor surface abrasion. One knop on the cover with an old repair.
Weight: 1.7 kg
Dimensions: Height 28 cm (incl. cover)
With a padded silk storage box, with a label inscribed in Chinese, ‘Qianlong mark, blue and white covered double vase’. (2)
Conjoined vases, incorporating sections of two or more shapes to create a single vessel, were among the most technical challenging wares produced by the imperial kilns during the Qianlong period. The double-vase form is commonly associated with enameled porcelain, including the famous European-subject falangcai double-vase in the Eisei Bunko Museum, Tokyo, illustrated in Toji taikei [World Ceramics. Qing Official Kilns], vol. 46, Tokyo, 1973, pl. 23, and a falangcai twin conjoined vase with birds and flowers, with two Qianlong marks and of the period, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, object number 故瓷017873N000000000. The form was also reproduced in enameled metal, see a Beijing enameled vase designed with scrolling flowers on a yellow-ground, with a Qianlong mark and of the period, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, object number 故琺000527N000000000.
The vibrant design on the present vessel is rich in symbolism. The sinuous dragon, emblem of the emperor, represents wisdom and power, whereas its harmonic counterpart, the soaring phoenix, symbol of the empress, signifies immortality and resurrection. Such symbolic union was commonly used to decorate imperial objects starting from the Ming dynasty, and continued to prevail in the Qing court where they were used on vessels made in various media.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related blue and white twin conjoined vase, with a Qianlong mark and of the period, of smaller size (21.2 cm high), in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, object number 中瓷004967N000000000.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Holly’s Auctions, Guangzhou, 9 August 2019, lot 1126
Price: RMB 2,472,500 or approx. EUR 317,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A blue and white double-necked vase with dragon and phoenix design, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decoration, and motifs. Note the similar size of the vessel (22 cm) and missing cover.
Expert’s note:
When the present lot was offered by Christie’s in Paris on 13 June 2018, lot 82, it prompted substantial scholarly discussion. The debate involved museum and auction-house specialists, as well as prominent private collectors from China, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, many of whom considered the work to be genuinely of the period, despite Christie’s rather conservative dating to around 1900. Acquired on that occasion by Jules Speelman, after a fierce bidding war, the piece now returns to the market as part of a gradual rebalancing of his extensive holdings of Chinese art.
Jules Speelman personally considers the present work to be Qianlong mark and period. A copy of a provenance statement reflecting this view, written and signed by Jules Speelman, dated 16 February 2026, accompanies the lot.
China, 1736-1795. Shaped as a pair of conjoined baluster vases, the body is decorated with a continuous band depicting two phoenixes and archaistic kui dragons, framed below by a band of stylized banana leaves and petals and above by a lappet band and scrolls. The lid is topped with two knob-shaped handles rising from stylized flames.
The base bears a horizontal six-character seal mark da Qing Qianlong nianzhi.
Provenance: Previously in a French private collection, acquired in the French art market in the 1960s-1970s, and thence by descent. The Property of a French private collector, acquired from the above. Christie’s Paris, 13 June 2018, lot 82, sold for EUR 150,000 or approx. EUR 176,000 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). The private collection of Jules Speelman, London, acquired from the above.
In its auction catalogue, Christie’s dated the present lot to the early 20th century and described the reign mark as apocryphal, assigning a notably low estimate. This was quickly exceeded in the saleroom by bidders who clearly believed the piece to be of the period.
Jules Speelman is a world-leading dealer and collector of East Asian art with 60 years of experience. In 1964 he joined his late father, Alfred, in the family business which already stretched back three generations to 19th century Holland and expanded into England around the turn of the century. Originally, A & J Speelman dealt with antiques, from European ceramics, silver, tapestries, and furniture to Chinese porcelain, and works of art. With his father, Jules gradually shifted the focus towards Asia and under Jules Speelman's skilled direction, A & J Speelman is now considered amongst the foremost dealers in Asian antiques, with a particular emphasis on figurative sculpture and works of art from the past 2000 years.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and minimal firing irregularities. Few light scratches and minor surface abrasion. One knop on the cover with an old repair.
Weight: 1.7 kg
Dimensions: Height 28 cm (incl. cover)
With a padded silk storage box, with a label inscribed in Chinese, ‘Qianlong mark, blue and white covered double vase’. (2)
Conjoined vases, incorporating sections of two or more shapes to create a single vessel, were among the most technical challenging wares produced by the imperial kilns during the Qianlong period. The double-vase form is commonly associated with enameled porcelain, including the famous European-subject falangcai double-vase in the Eisei Bunko Museum, Tokyo, illustrated in Toji taikei [World Ceramics. Qing Official Kilns], vol. 46, Tokyo, 1973, pl. 23, and a falangcai twin conjoined vase with birds and flowers, with two Qianlong marks and of the period, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, object number 故瓷017873N000000000. The form was also reproduced in enameled metal, see a Beijing enameled vase designed with scrolling flowers on a yellow-ground, with a Qianlong mark and of the period, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, object number 故琺000527N000000000.
The vibrant design on the present vessel is rich in symbolism. The sinuous dragon, emblem of the emperor, represents wisdom and power, whereas its harmonic counterpart, the soaring phoenix, symbol of the empress, signifies immortality and resurrection. Such symbolic union was commonly used to decorate imperial objects starting from the Ming dynasty, and continued to prevail in the Qing court where they were used on vessels made in various media.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related blue and white twin conjoined vase, with a Qianlong mark and of the period, of smaller size (21.2 cm high), in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, object number 中瓷004967N000000000.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Holly’s Auctions, Guangzhou, 9 August 2019, lot 1126
Price: RMB 2,472,500 or approx. EUR 317,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A blue and white double-necked vase with dragon and phoenix design, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decoration, and motifs. Note the similar size of the vessel (22 cm) and missing cover.
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Auction: TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism, 16th Apr, 2026
Galerie Zacke is honored to present a major two-day live auction event, featuring 692 works of art from China, India, Southeast Asia, and beyond.
The highlight is our flagship live auction on Day 1 (lots 1-277), showcasing masterpieces of exceptional rarity and provenance. Among them are a monumental and unique gilt-copper head of Buddha, Tibet, 14th century, from the personal collection of Ulrich von Schroeder; an absolutely perfect green-glazed ‘dragon’ bowl, Kangxi mark and period, from the collection of J. J. Lally; one of the largest ever found jade disks, bi, Qijia culture, 74 cm diameter, authenticated by Dr. Gu Fang, collection of Lord Anthony Jacobs, London; a monumental and highly important Sichuan pottery horse, Han dynasty, at a staggering height of 156 cm and a diagonal of over 200 cm, the largest ever recorded from this group, from the Weisbrod collection and TL tested by Oxford Authentication; and the monumental and highly important ‘Kienzle’ stucco statue of Buddha, Gandhara, circa 3rd–5th century, the largest recorded example of its type, rescued during the Taliban advance in 1994.
Day 2 (lots 278-692) continues with our general auction, offering seasoned collectors and new bidders alike an opportunity to enhance their collections. Learn more.
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