the compressed globular body rising from a splayed foot to a long slender neck and slightly flared rim, brightly painted around the exterior with stylised scrolling lotus, shou characters and flying bats all against a pink ground, between a ruyi pendant border at the rim and a band of upright lappets rising from floral foliates at the foot, the base and interior glazed turquoise, the base with a seal mark in iron red.

Note: This finely enamelled vase follows in the Qianlong style, suggesting that it was possibly made within the first decade of Jiaqing's reign when the influence of potters working for his father, the Qianlong emperor, remained strong. See a slightly larger Qianlong mark and period vase of related form, decorated with a lotus scroll against a sgraffiato ruby red ground, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 20th November 1985, lot 144.

The individual elements of this vase have been carefully chosen for their auspicious significance; for example the shoucharacters rendered in gilt represent good fortune, which is echoed through the bats, while the ruyi heads mean 'as you wish'. Compare a Jiaqing vase of similar form, but of larger size and painted with two registers of bats and ruyi heads with a lotus scroll, divided by upright leaves and various colourful borders, inscribed with a Chongming Tang mark, sold at Christie's New York, 24th June 1983, lot 1043, and again in our Hong Kong rooms, 30th October 2002, lot 256.. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Londres, 16 may 2018, 10:30 AM