QIANLONG FOUR-CHARACTER MARK IN BLUE ENAMEL AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

Details

A RARE PAINTED ENAMEL GU-SHAPED MINIATURE VASE
QIANLONG FOUR-CHARACTER MARK IN BLUE ENAMEL AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)
The vessel is intricately enamelled on the globular lower body with a dense millefleurs design depicting chrysanthemum, peony, hibiscus and daisy amidst other exotic blooms, between blue trefoil collars and pink classic scrolls. The trumpet neck is decorated with upright overlapping lappets rising to a ground of yellow key-fret, all raised on a spreading foot encircled by ruyi heads and C-scrolls. The interior is decorated with turquoise enamel.
2 ½ in. (6.4 cm.) high

Provenance

Christie's Hong Kong, 30 May 2006, lot 1570

Special Notice

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Lot Essay

A miniature vase like this would probably have been made to fit into a treasure box, where small items and interesting pieces in the miniature were kept and admired. Treasure boxes and their contents were enjoyed by the Emperor Qianlong and were also popular among collectors in the 18th century. Compare with other painted enamel versions of millefleurs in the miniature, found on snuff bottles in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Snuff Bottles, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 135 (alternating with ruby landscapes) pl. 139, and pl. 152 (both with a multitude of fruit and flowers).

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