Lot 209. Four rare cloisonné enamel 'flower' panels, Qianlong-Jiaqing period (1736-1820). Each 100.2cm (39 3/8in) long x 27.8cm (11in) wide. Estimate £ 100,000-150,000. Sold for £ 92,500 (€ 106,123). Photo Bonhams.

Each exquisitely enamelled in vibrant tones of blue, red, pink, white and green with an abundance of flowers, with an egret standing on patchy grass beside rockwork and long stalks of poppy, canopied by overhanging branches of wisteria perched by two yellow-feathered magpies; blossoming flowers of chrysanthemum and peonies issued on contorted branches extending from prominent porous rocks, the foliate petals finely and naturalistically rendered, above leafy sprays of day lily, narcissus, aster and begonia flowers, interspersed with a crawling cricket and a pair of butterflies in flight; the last panel depicting an auspicious early spring scene, with four swallows variously in flight and perched on a gnarled tree trunk issuing small pink and white prunus blossoms above bamboo stalks, the elegantly drooping branches borne with delicate flower buds, all reserved on a bright turquoise ground with an intricate wan pattern.

Provenance: Lady Anne M.S. Durston (d.1989), and thence by descent.

Note: The present lot would have been part of a larger screen, adorning palace halls and rooms. For a related twelve-leaf screen, mid-Qing dynasty, see Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 4, Cloisonné in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Beijing, 2011, pp.202-203, pl.147.

The abundance of flowers depicted on the present lot have embodied the panels with auspicious meanings, with each floral species representing diverse wishes, as blessings to the owner. Chrysanthemum represent longevity; peony symbolises wealth and opulence; whilst wisteria conveys the wish of achieving official rank in exams. Magpie, or Xique 喜鵲 resembles the character Xi 喜, or happiness, and is believed to herald good fortune. The depiction of magpie perched on prunus branches resemble the metaphor known as Xishang Meishao 喜上眉梢, or 'happiness up to the tips of one's eyebrows', celebrating the advent of spring, signified by the blossoming of prunus flowers.

The auspicious motifs and decorations conveyed by the present lot would have suggested it was part of a screen possibly adorning palace rooms and chambers, such as the setting of Chonghuagong, Hall of Double Brilliance in the Forbidden City, Beijing, as part of the Kang bed-stove, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, pp.305, pl.2580

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, London, 12 November 2015