† A RELIEF-DECORATED ‘HUNDRED TREASURES’ FAMILLE-ROSE VASE, LATE QING DYNASTY TO REPUBLIC PERIOD
Lot 275 - HS0625

China, circa 1850-1950. The exterior of the vase elaborately decorated with antique objects, scholarly items, and auspicious emblems, all set in relief against a richly gilt ground. The body neatly molded and impressed with relief bordering at the foot, shoulder, and mouth in the appearance of carved lacquer with gilt highlights.

The turquoise-enameled base impressed with an apocryphal gilt six-character seal mark da Qing Qianlong nianzhi.

Provenance: Massachusetts trade, acquired on the local auction market. By repute previously in the private collection of a local jeweler.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and firing irregularities, minor rubbing to the gilding and flaking to the enamels, the turquoise enamel at the base with crackling and losses.

Weight: 3 kg
Dimensions: Height 40.4 cm

Expert’s note:
Famille rose vases with unusual and sometimes striking motifs were favored by the Qianlong Emperor, who also had a fondness for objects that mimicked other materials. He challenged the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen to produce technically innovative and aesthetically unconventional pieces, exemplified by the present lot. Qianlong-era potters pushed the boundaries of refinement and craftsmanship. Techniques like applied decoration, originating in the Kangxi period, were revisited and perfected during Qianlong's reign, a nod to his admiration for his grandfather, and onwards. The present vase showcases this mastery, with finely detailed appliques and enameled decoration seamlessly integrated into the painted design. This type of design remained popular throughout the end of the Qing dynasty and the subsequent republican era.

Literature comparison:
See Porcelain in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Vol. 38, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 156, no. 143, for a Kangxi vase with relief decoration but painted in gilt alone.