Lot 5. A rare cloisonné enamel model of a buddhist stupa, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 10 in. (25.2 cm.) high. Estimate £20,000 – £30,000 ($28,300 - $42,450). Price realised GBP 21,250. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

The globular body rises to a cylindrical ribbed neck below a galleried top and is supported by a domed base which sits on a square-section base. The stupa is decorated with bands of lotus, masks and lappets all on turquoise grounds. The base is similarly decorated with a central double-vajra symbol. 

Provenance: From the collection of a private European lady.

Note: A similar cloisonné enamel stupa is in the Uldry Collection, illustrated by H. Brinker and A. Lutz in Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, New York, 1989, p. 279. The authors mention that the Qianlong emperor encouraged the manufacture of religious objects in cloisonné and commissioned several monumental cloisonné pagodas between 1764 and 1782, the largest being 293 cm. high, ibid, pp. 140-141. The pair to the stupa in the Uldry Collection was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 31 May 2010, lot 1970.

Christie's. INSPIRED THEMES: A FINE SELECTION OF CHINESE WORKS OF ART, 10 May 2016, London, King Street