Lot 39. A fine and rare famille rose blue-ground 'Medallion' vase, Qianlong blue-enamel four-character mark, Republic Period (1912-1949); 31cm (12 1/4in) high. (2). Sold for HKD 948,000 (Estimate HKD 1,500,000 - HKD 1,800,000). © Bonhams 2001-2022

Of tall baluster form with flared mouth and a slightly splayed foot, decorated to the body with two gilt medallion on blue ground, on one side depicting the two Daoist immortals He Xiangu riding in a boat and Shoulao riding on a crane in their way to send auspicious birthday blessings to Guo Ziyi, who is standing on the terrace; on the other side depicting the Emperor Yao seeking direction from the Emperor Shun, Qianlong four-character iron-red mark within a square to the base, box.

Provenance: Kung Wah Lee Trading, and thence by descent
The Huaihaitang Collection, Hong Kong.

Note: The present vase is amongst the top-rated famille rose porcelains fired in Jingdezhen in the first half of the 20th century. The themes depicted on this group often derive from the Qing dynasty Imperial kilns, compare with a Qianlong famille rose 'Magu' lantern vase in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Shanghai, 1999, p.107, pl.93; compare the pink enamel used on the present vase to a pair of famille rose 'ladies' vases fired between 1940-1949, illustrated in Jingyitang cang ci·ciqi [Porcelains in the Jingyitang Collection], Nanchang, 2001, p.21, no.30.

Vases of this type, guanyin ping, closely follow the Kangxi prototype, see a 'Langyao' red-glazed vase in the Fondation Baur, Musée des Arts d'Extrême-Orient, illustrated in A Millenium of Monochromes from the Great Tang to the High Qing: The Baur and the Zhuyuetang Collections, Geneva, 2019, p.288, no.132.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, Hong Kong, 30 November 2022