Lot 3026. A very rare turquoise ground puce enamelled mallet vase, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795), 7 in. (17.8 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 5,000,000 - HKD 7,000,000 (USD 645,258 - USD 903,361) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The rounded body of the vase is finely potted with a broad base and a rounded shoulder under a high cylindrical neck. The exterior is superbly decorated in bright rouge on turquoise ground with two phoenixes amidst clouds.

Provenance: Acquired in London in 1990s.

Note: The rounded body of the vase is finely potted with a broad base and a rounded shoulder under a high cylindrical neck. The exterior is superbly decorated in bright rouge on a turquoise ground with two phoenix in flight amidst cloud scrolls.

No other vase of this shape and decorative scheme appears to have been published. A related Qianlong mark-and-period hu-form vase with dragon-form handles decorated in rouge enamel on turquoise ground, is in the collection of National Museum of China, Beijing, and illustrated in Studies of the Collections of the National Museum of China, p. 163, pl. 107 (fig. 1).

A turquoise ground rouge enamelled hu-form vase, Qianlong mark and period (1736-1795). Collection of the National Museum of China.

Christie's. The Imperial Sale / Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 31 May 2017, Convention Hall