Lot 8. A qianjiangcai enameled vase,by Cheng Men (1833-1908), dated by inscription to 1878; 11 5/8in (29.6cm) high. Estimate $5,000 - $7,000. Sold for US$ 120,000. © Bonhams.

Of cong form consisting of a waisted neck and foot separated by a tall rectangular body molded to support opposing elephant head and faux ring handles, the glaze displaying a notable orange peel effect and covered in the typically fugitive pastel colored enamels to depict a bird and flowers on two sides, and a riverside landscape and an elderly scholar-recluse on the remaining ones, all four sides inscribed to include the seals and signatures of the artist's various sobriquets: Xueli, Songzhu, and Liweng, one inscription including additionally the wuyin year date.

Note: Qianjiangcai refers to a 'pastel colored' palette of enamels necessary after the destruction of the Jingdezhen kilns following the Taiping rebellion in the 1850s. Cheng Men was perhaps the most famous of the ceramicists working in this subdued palette, utilizing what could be regarded as technical flaws to create painterly works more appealing to literati taste.

A very similar cong vase, painted in 1881 by Cheng Men, was one of two vases sold in our San Francisco sale 22378, 10 March 2015, lot 8170. That cong, like the present lot, had birds and flowers that compare very favorably to a set of eight porcelain panels offered in our London, New Bond Street sale 23238, 10 November 2016, lot 175.

Bonhams. Chinese Works of Art, Los Angeles, 17 December 2019