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28 mai 2014

A magnificent and very rare pair of large Imperial Famille Rose Beijing enamel gu-shaped vases, Yongzheng blue-enamelled four-ch

Pichet Cintamani aux grenades, Iznik, vers 1570

A magnificent and very rare pair of large Imperial Famille Rose Beijing enamel gu-shaped vases, Yongzheng blue-enamelled four-character marks and of the period (1723-1735). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

Each of the vases is of elaborate baluster shape and formed of eight horizontal sections. Both are superbly enamelled in shaded tones of pink, yellow, aubergine and green with a floral meander born on scrolling vines growing curled leaves and tendrils, all are reserved on a pale turquoise-ground. The detachable handles are each formed by a sinuous, archaistic, dragon body that supports a gilt-metal head. The dragon heads are finely detailed with long, pointed, manes. The dragons' mouths are agape, and positioned to confront each other over the flared mouth rims. The reign mark is horizontally written above the above splayed foot. 19 1/2 in. (49.5 cm.) high, boxes. Estimate on request. Unsold.

Provenance: Sold at Sotheby Park Bernet Inc., New York, 23 May 1974, lot 160
Sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 29 November 1978, lot 432
Sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29 October 1995, lot 625
THE PROPERTY OF AN ASIAN COLLECTOR

Painted enamels were known as 'foreign enamels'. The technique was developed in Europe in Flanders at the borders between Belgium, France and Netherlands. In late 15th century the town Limoges, in west central France, became the centre for enamel production. As the maritime trade flourished between the East and West, enamels were introduced to China via the trading port Canton (Guangzhou). The Qing court then set up Imperial ateliers to produce enamelled metal wares in the Kangxi period. In the early period, due to insufficient technical knowledge, only small vessels were made, with limited palette and murky colours. By the late Kangxi period, a wider range of brighter and purer colours became available, resulting in clearer decorations and a higher level of technical sophistication.
The Yongzheng emperor was particularly fond of the newly developed painted enamels, and have had criticised pieces that were not up to standards. Very few cloisonne enamel wares bear Yongzheng reign marks, but painted enamells not only bear the reign marks, new colours were also developed. The black, in particular, was used as a ground for coloured decorations. This black colour was invented in the Yongzheng period, so was especially favoured by the emperor. Often on enamelled pieces one can see the decorations picked out in black. This Yongzheng emperor's love of Japanese lacquers. In the Yongzheng period, painted enamels are still dominated by small vessels, but with novel shapes and bright colours. From the Comprehensive Records of Zaobanchu workshops (hereafter Comprehensive Records),it is clear that the Yongzheng emperor spared neither energy nor wealth in the manufacturing of works of art. One could sense his rigour and strict demands from the making of painted enamels. On the 19th day of the eighth month in 1726, it is recorded that:
'The enamels made at present are crude and the decorations are vulgar. From now on you must all take care to refine them.'
On the 3rd day of the third gap month in 1727, it was decreed that:
'When I look at the works made by Zaobanchu before, whatever their shortcomings, they were of proper court style. Recently they have become much more fancy, but also more vulgar. Do not veer from the court style in the future in your production.'
He also decreed in 1725 to commission bird-and-flower painter He Jinkun, from Hangzhou, to draft the decorations for vessels, and in 1732, court painters like Dai Huan and Tang Zhenji were ordered to join the Enamel Workshop. Yongzheng emperor, renowned for his refined taste, was hoping to raise the standards of production with the participation of these court painters, in order to achieve the desired elegance and finesse.
There are over 6,000 pieces of enamels on metal in the Beijing Palace Museum, including cloisonn? enamels, painted enamels and champlev? enamels. Painted enamels number around 2,000, 35 of which bear Yongzheng marks. There are around 2,500 pieces of enamelled pieces in the Taipei Palace Museum, and only 51 of these are Yongzheng-marked pieces. The two Palace Museums have the largest collection of enamels from the Ming and Qing Dynasties in the world. From the above numbers, it is clear that there are less than a hundred pieces of Yongzheng-marked painted enamel pieces, demonstrating their rarity. This article would focus on the manufacture of painted enamel garnitures in the Yongzheng period.
Five-piece garnitures are offering vessels made for a temple or shrine. They normally consist of an incense burner, a pair of candlesticks and a pair of flower vases. There are extant examples of Wanli period cloisonn? enamel censers, vases and candlesticks, but none that form a complete set. There is a set of cloisonn? enamel five-piece garniture decorated with prunus-on-cracked-ice pattern in the Taipei Palace Museum, which is the earliest enamelled five-piece garniture recorded.
The pair of painted enamel vases now offered at Christie's are 49 cm. high. They have wide flaring mouths, long necks, globular mid-section and flat bases. The two heads of the dragon ears have their mouths wide open, biting onto the rims. Each whole body is painted with a sky-blue ground, and divided into six sections with five gilt borders. The necks and bodies are painted with naturalistic peonies, while the rest is decorated with lotus scrolls. The base rims are inscribed in black enamel with 'Yongzheng nianzhi' four-character marks within panels of double chilong borders. These vases have majestic forms, inspired by elements of archaic bronze wine vessels, gu, from the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, and the 'phoenix-tail' vases of the Kangxi period. On the pure sky-blue ground, the decorations are painted in darker and lighter greens, purple, cobalt blue, pink, white and yellow. The principal peonies are painted with dark outlines and filled with colours, graduating to lighter tones towards the edges. Each layer of the petals is clearly visible, and the fully bloomed flowers have a regal appearance. The stems are drawn with parallel lines infilled with colours, while the leaves are picked out in lighter and darker tones to indicate the front and reverse of each leaf - showing the high skills of court enamellers. This pair of vases was once sold at Sotheby's New York in 1974, and its companion pair of candlesticks (fig. 1)was sold at Sotheby's New York in 1976. The companion censer was also sold at Sotheby's New York in 1976, and was exhibited in Victoria & Albert Museum from 1977-1983. It then sold again at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 1989. At the moment this five-piece garniture are in three different collections.
Comprehensive Records were the primary source of records for the manufacture of Imperial work of art in all media. The compilation started in the first year of Yongzheng period (1722) and ceased in the third year of the Xuantong period (1911). It is now stored in The First Historical Archives of China. It is recorded in the Comprehensive Records of the Yongzheng period that five sets of five-piece garnitures were made in the Yongzheng period - two for the Enyou Temple, one for the Yangxindian (Hall of The Cultivation of the Mind), one for the Confucian Temple, and one for the shrine of Prince Yi (Yun Xiang, 1686-1730).
For example, it is recorded that:
1st day of the fourth month of 1725, Enamel Workshop

Supervisor Hai Wang received a decree that,
'The garniture currently in the Enyou Temple are inadequate. Another set is to be made in the style of that in the Shouhuang Dian (Hall of Imperial Longevity), with the sizes fitting the existing wood stands. It is thus decreed.'
The 3rd day of the twelfth month, a set of enamel garniture was made, and Usher Zhang Zicheng took it to the Enyou Temple to be offered.
The 2nd day of tenth month in 1725, the Enamel Workshp
Supervisor Hai Wang received a decree that,
'A set of garniture is to be made, wood stands, in the style and size of that in the Shouhuang Dian. It is thus decreed.'
On the 26th day of the second month, Supervisor Hai Wang reported that a set of enamel garniture was made. The eunuch Chang Yu relayed a decree that, 'offer this garniture in the Enyou Temple on the 28th day. '
From the above records, it is clear that the five-piece garnitures in the Enyou Temple were made in the style of the one in the Shouhuang Dian, but no description was given as to its colour. However, later on in the Comprehensive Recordsin 1728, it is mentioned 'a set of yellow-enamelled garniture is to be made as that in the Shouhuang Dian.' It is therefore clear that the Shouhuang Dian garniture was in yellow enamel, and conversely were those in the Enyou Temple. Unfortunately none of these have survived.
The only Yongzheng-marked five-piece garniture in the Beijing Palace is the yellow-ground painted enamel garniture decorated with peonies in the Buddhist shrine at the back of the western wing of Yangxindian. It is recorded that this shrine was built in the tenth year of Qianlong (1745), and a place of worship for the Qianlong emperor alone.Most of the metal-bodied enamels wares have been preserved collectively in storage in the Beijing Palace Museum, but a few of them are still placed in situ at the Buddhist shrines they were intended for, as is the case of this Yongzheng set. Iis recorded in 1729 that:
The 17th day of the tenth month, Wood Workshop: Message was received from Yuanmingyuan, the Eunuch Jiao Jin relayed a decree that,
'Make a pair of tin candlesticks, a pair of tin flower vases, a tin incense burner and a pair of offering flowers in the style of the enamelled garniture in the Buddhist shrine of Yangxindian. Make them delicate, not too large'.
Here, the Comprehensive Records mentions a Buddhist shrine in Yangxindian. After consulting the specialist in the Palace Museum in charge of the restoration of Buddhist shrines, it is revealed that the said Buddhist shrine has in fact since been demolished, and is not the one behind the West Wing built in the Qianlong period. The set of garniture mentioned in the Comprehensive Records was possibly moved to the current shrine when the previous one was demolished.
There is a set of painted enamel five-piece garniture decorated with peonies (fig.2) in the Confucius Museum in Qufu, Shandong. The incense burner is 71 cm. high. the candlesticks are 72 cm. high, and the vases 70.5 cm. high. The author found detailed records about this garniture in the Comprehensive Records:
The 29th day of the eleventh month in 1728, Enamel Workshop:
The Grand Secretariats Zhang Tingyu and Jiang Tingxi relayed a decree that,
'Order the Zaobanchu in Yangxindian to make a set of enameled garniture in the style of the one offered at Shouhuang Dian, to be respectfully offered in the Confucian Temple'.
On the 24th day of the tenth month, a set of yellow-ground painted enamel five-piece garniture was made. Vice-director Man Pi handed it over to the Hanli Secretariat Wu Bai and Privy Purse Treasury Director Li Zhigang, to be offered in the Confucian Temple'.
This set of garniture in the Confucian Temple is the largest existing example of Yongzheng marked painted enamel five-piece garnitures.
The pair of vases in the current sale is almost 50 cm. high, indicating they were made for a large Buddhist hall or shrine. The author found a record in the Comprehensive Records of the Yongzheng period, which warrants attention:
The 11th day of the fifth month in 1729, Enamel Workshop:
The Supervisor Hai Wang relayed a decree that,
'A set of blue painted enamel five-piece garniture is to be made in the style of the previous example, but smaller in size. The stand and wax flowers should all be made in the style of previous examples. It is thus decreed'.
On the 11th day of the sixth month, a set of blue painted-enamel garniture was made, and was sent to the shrine of Prince Yi to be set-up.
Prince Yi, Yun Xiang (fig. 3), mentioned in the records was Kangxi's 22nd son, born on the 1st day of the eleventh month in 1686. He became the Thirteenth Prince, due to several infant fatalities among his brothers. On the 13th day of the eleventh month in 1722, the Kangxi emperor passed away, and Yongzheng emperor ascended the throne. The next day, Yun Xiang was named the Grand Viceroy of Household Affairs, and was awarded the title of qinwang, 'Imperial prince'. After his promotion, he was given a great deal of responsibilities, including the command of the Eight Banners Guards, which was responsible for Yongzheng emperor's personal safety. From national finances to the security of the emperor, he was one of the most powerful officials in the Yongzheng period . From the Comrpehensive Records, we learn that Yun Xiang was the person in charge of Zaobanchu from the 1st to the 7th year of Yongzheng reign.
On the 4th day of the fifth month in 1729, Yun Xiang passed away at the age of 45. only after six days, on the 11th day of the fifth month, the Yongzheng emperor ordered the Zaobanchu to make a set of painted enamel five-piece garniture for him.
'A set of blue painted-enamel five-piece garniture is to be made in the style of the previous example, but smaller in size.'
Since the Yongzheng emperor just commissioned a set of yellow-ground five-piece garniture measuring around 70 cm. for the Confucian Temple in the previous year, we can deduce that this garniture for Prince Yi was of the same style as the Confucian temple example, but in smaller size and painted blue. The current vases are around 49 cm. high, and fits this description perfectly. Therefore we can surmise that this pair of vases, together with its companion censer and pair of candlesticks, is the set specially commissioned by the Yongzheng emperor for his beloved brother. From theComprehensive Records, only five sets of painted enamel garnitures were made, four being yellow, and only one being blue.
The form, colour and decoration on this pair of painted enamel vases make them one of a kind. They are fitting examples of the Yongzheng emperor's pursuit of refinement and elegance. The plump and regal peonies on them, especially, echo the verses by the Tang poet Liu Yuxi: The shaoyao in the garden is seductive but graceless
The lotus over the pond is pure but devoid of affection.
Only the peony is a true national beauty,
Its blooming reverberates through the capital city.

Literature: H. Moss, By Imperial Command, Hong Kong, 1976, pl. 20 (one of the pair illustrated)
Sotheby's Twenty Years, Hong Kong, 1993, p. 268, no. 426
Christie's 20 Years in Hong Kong, 2006, p. 287

Notes: This pair of extremely rare painted enamel gu-shaped vases was probably commissioned to commemorate Prince Yi, Yunxiang (1686-1730), one of Yongzheng Emperor's younger brothers and the supervisor of the Imperial atelier, Zaobanchu, in the beginning of the Yongzheng reign. It forms part of a garniture together with an incense burner and a pair of candlesticks. Although the current vases, the censer and the candlesticks were all sold at Sotheby's New York in 1976, they have since been dispersed and in three different collections. Both the censer and the pair of candlesticks at one point belonged to the British Rail Pension Fund Collection, and were sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 16 May 1989, lot 92 (censer) and lot 93 (candlesticks). The candlesticks were later sold again at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 October 2001, lot 645.

The form and design of this rare garniture follow those of a yellow-ground garniture commissioned for the Confucian Temple in Qufu. Unlike the Qufu example, the present garniture is painted on a soft blue ground and smaller in size. Only three other sets of similar garnitures have recorded been made, and this is the only set to have been made in blue.

It is noted by the researcher Shi Jingfei in the National Palace Museum in Taipei that in contrast to the Kangxi period where there is an emphasis on the techniques of enamelling, the Yongzheng period showed more emphasis in the decorative scheme and the shape of the vessels. This is evident on the current pair of vases, where the craftsman created a new form by adapting the gu shape and added two fancy scroll handles with gilt metal dragon heads, giving them a regal and impressive stature. The combination of painted enamel with gilt-metal mask handles can also be seen on a Yongzheng vase decorated with coiled dragons in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ch'ing and Ming Dynasties, 1999, Taipei, no. 98, pp.98-99 (fig. 1). This vase is also painted with peonies, but in a more naturalistic style.

The decoration on the present pair of vases is a continuation of the style that has been developed during the Kangxi period. The painting of the peony blooms, in particular, is closely related to those found on Kangxi painted enamel bowls such as the one in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2002, no. 177, p. 186; as well as the two bowls sold at Christie's, one in Hong Kong, 27 October 2003, lot 725 (fig. 2); and another sold in London, 8 June 2004, lot 467. Both the Kangxi examples and the current vases have lime green, pink, purple and yellow peonies, while on the current vases an extra colour - cobalt blue - has been added. The peonies on the current vases are also more elaborate and luxuriant compared to their Kangxi prototypes, with finer petals in many more layers. A Yongzheng-marked painted enamel tiered box sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 October 2003, lot 728 (fig. 3), also features peony blooms of the same colour range as those on the current vases.

These garniture sets are probably some of the largest and most expensive commissions of painted enamels made in the Yongzheng period, as others are normally relatively small in size. Not only were they precious, the fact that their design was made following the set destined for the Confucian temple is an indication of their importance in the Yongzheng emperor's mind. Prince Yi was Yongzheng emperor's most trusted brother, and largely responsible for the management of Zaobanchu during the first eight years of the Yongzheng reign, overseeing the affairs of the ateliers including the production of enamels. The commission of this garniture was not only an honor of the highest order but also a recognition of his contribution in the development of enamel production in the Yongzheng period. Only three years after he died, Yongzheng emperor complained to the staff of Zaobanchu that, 'When you were managed by Prince Yi, everything was executed with utmost care, and there have never been occasions when commissions were done without court order, nor were there unauthorized staff entering the atelier.' This rebuttal shows us the great management skill of the Prince and the Emperor's recognition of his work. It is fair to say that, without the efforts of Prince Yi, there would probably not be so many fine works of art, such as this pair of vases, left to us from the Yongzheng period.

Christie's. THROUGH CONNOISSEURS' EYES - WORKS OF ART FOR THE EMPEROR, 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/

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