Lot 210. A very rare imperial gilt-bronze hat stand, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 49cm high. Estimate HK$ 500,000 - 800,000. Sold for HK$ 625,000 (€ 74,139). Photo: Bonhams.

Impressively formed as a gilt-bronze elephant with a harness embellished with coloured glass beads and flowers and suspending seed pearl tassels, the ornate floral repoussé saddle with a kneeling figure of a European on top, wearing a frock coat with arms raised to hold a flat octagonal tray upon his head, the tray bearing a lobed vase covered in filigree white metal overlaid with glass flowers and enamelled leafy scrolls, with five standing ruyi sceptres balanced on the rim of the vase made from gilt bronze and set with various semi-precious stones including jadeite, lapis lazuli and rose quartz surrounded by Buddhist Emblems, the heads of the sceptres supporting a circular box chased on the exterior with leafy scrolls, the separate lining joined with a screw fastening to the cover also chased and scrollwork and inlaid with yellow, red, blue and green cut glass beads imitating precious stones in a floral arrangement, the stand all based on a very dark blue and opaque white glass chequered floor. 

Provenance: German private collection, acquired by the father of the present owner in China prior to 1936, thence by descent within the family.

Note: Gilt-bronze and filigree semi-precious-stone-inset hat stands are amongst the finest works of art made in the Imperial workshops in Guangzhou for the Imperial court during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. Hat stands were made for the Imperial court in various materials including porcelain, cloisonné enamel, jade, painted enamel on copper, bamboo and other media. The present hat stand is extremely rare and no other similar example appears to have been published.

In its superb craftsmanship and decorative style, it is reminiscent of the impressive clocks made in Europe for the Imperial court and those of similar style produced in the Imperial workshops in Guangzhou as tribute for the Qing court. This is evident in the various decorative elements which will be discussed below:

The very fine 'checkerboard' black and white enamelled rectangular base is very similar to that engraved on a gilt bronze pedestal on an automaton clock made by William Carpenter, circa 1780, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, (see I.White, English Clocks for the Eastern Markets, Ticehurst, Sussex, 2012, p.231). An interesting anecdote related to this design is Lord Macartney's note on 23 August 1793 during his embassy to meet the Qianlong Emperor, describing in his journal the floor of the great throne hall in the Yuanming Yuan as made '[...]of chequered marble, grey and white, with neat mats laid upon it in different places to walk upon.' (see Lord Macartney, An Embassy to China: Being the Journal kept by Lord Macartney during his embassy to the Emperor Ch'ien-lung 1793-1794, ed.J.L.Cranmer-Byng, 1962, p.95).

The elephant is symbolic of strength and wisdom and when combined with a vase as in the present piece (supported by a kneeling European figure) represents the wish for peaceful times. The elephant is a popular symbol in Chinese art depicted in various media. The use of an animal as the supporting and central element can be seen on other clocks made for the Chinese market, also using the forms of deer, crane, horse, bull, lion and ram. Compare several clocks with gilt-bronze elephants from the Qing court collection in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by I.White, English Clocks for the Eastern Markets, Ticehurst, Sussex, 2012, pp.188,192-3 figs.7.32 and 7.36-7 and see also Liao Pin, Clocks and Watches of the Qing Dynasty - From the Collection in the Forbidden City, Beijing, 2002, p.73, pl.40. It is possible that the use of elephants originated in clocks made by the renowned London clock makers William Carpenter and James Cox who used gilt-bronze elephants as supports and whose clocks were amongst those included in the Imperial collection during the Qianlong period (see Liao Pin, Clocks and Watches of the Qing Dynasty - From the Collection in the Forbidden City, Beijing, 2002, pp.110-1, pl.71; and Schatten uit de Verboden Stad - Treasures from the Forbidden City, Museum Speelklok, Utrecht, 2010, p.91, fig.2.1). The caparisoned elephant is adorned with inlaid pastiche-glass and semi-precious stones typical of the workmanship in the late 18th century.

The gilt-bronze figure kneeling on the back of the elephant supporting a vase, can be identified as European by his buttoned long coat with lace adorned sleeves, scarf and the neatly tied queue at the back of the neck. A similarly poised figure can be seen in a James Cox clock in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by I.White, English Clocks for the Eastern Markets, Ticehurst, Sussex, p.188, fig.7.32. The filigree and enamel pastiche-glass inlaid lobed vase, forming the pun for peace, is shaped after a porcelain vase.

Among the more remarkable and rare features on this hat stand are the five semi-precious-stone-inlaid gilt-bronze ruyi forming the supports for the hat and the engraved box and cover. The ruyi further reinforce the wish for peace, strength and wisdom and are decorated with bats suspending peach, the Endless Knot and other auspicious Buddhist symbols. These represent the wish for good fortune and happiness as well as prosperity and longevity. A related example of the use of ruyi as means of supporting a hat with a perfumier box and cover in the centre can be seen in a painted enamel on copper hat stand of the Qianlong period, in the Museum of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, illustrated by J.Getz, Catalogue of the Avery Collection of Ancient Chinese Cloisonnés, New York, NY, 1912, p.72, no.143.

The cover of the separate box and cover is inlaid with pastiche glass and its radiating floral form is similar to rotating pastiche-glass inlaid flowers decorating clock automatons.

There is no doubt that the present remarkable hat stand was inspired in its subject matter, design and quality by the finest European clocks made for the Chinese market in the 18th century. Its particular purpose and the clever use of the ruyi shape to form supports for the hat, clearly point to the ingenious adaptation by the Imperial workshops in Guangzhou and is a testament to their superb craftsmanship and innovation.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, Hong Kong, Admiralty, 26 May 2014