A CHINESE ENAMEL TEA KETTLE & STAND, QIANLONG (1736-1795)

拍品描述

A CHINESE ENAMEL TEA KETTLE & STAND, QIANLONG (1736-1795) The globular tea kettle is finely worked in painted enamels, with a high arched metal handle, turned dark grip, domed cover and slender curved spout, set upon a matching enamelled stand. The form has a pleasing balance between rounded volume and linear metalwork, the swelling body providing a broad surface for pictorial decoration, while the raised stand gives the vessel a ceremonial presence. The palette is vivid and varied, combining pink, turquoise, yellow, green, blue and gilt tones against a predominantly white enamel ground. The body is decorated with courtly figural scenes in landscape settings, enclosed by gilt scrollwork borders and framed beneath a dense band of gilt ornament at the shoulder. One side shows figures gathered in a garden, including a seated lady attended by a standing female figure holding a fan or screen, and a kneeling attendant presenting tea. Trees, rocks, red balustrades and distant landscape elements lend the scene depth, while the fine linear drawing and translucent washes give the figures a lively, narrative quality. The upper register is richly treated, with a yellow diaper band, shaped floral cartouches and blue-edged borders encircling the cover and shoulder. The cover itself is centred by a large pink flowerhead around the knop, surrounded by scrolling foliage and concentric bands. The spout, formed in an elegant bird-like curve, is painted in shaded yellow, pink and green, while the enamelled stand repeats the floral vocabulary on its arched supports and circular stretcher, tying the separate components into a coherent decorative scheme. As a tea kettle with stand, the object belongs to the refined domestic and ceremonial culture of the Qianlong period, when enamelled metal wares were prized for their brilliance of colour, technical sophistication and capacity for intricate pictorial ornament. The combination of Chinese figural scenes, formal gilt borders, floral reserves and elaborate metal mounts reflects the Qing taste for objects that were at once functional, decorative and technically demanding. This tea kettle and stand is a highly decorative example of Qianlong enamel work, uniting pictorial narrative, elegant metal construction and richly coloured surface ornament in a form associated with cultivated tea service. Height of Pot: 23 cm Height on Stand: 35 cm

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