A CHINESE ENAMEL EWER, MADE FOR INDIAN MARKET, QIANLONG (1736-1795)

拍品描述

A CHINESE ENAMEL EWER, MADE FOR INDIAN MARKET, QIANLONG (1736-1795) The ewer is of elegant pear-shaped form, rising from a splayed foot to a narrow waisted neck and flared mouth, with a high loop handle and a long, slender curved spout. Worked in painted enamels, the surface is richly decorated in a famille rose palette of pink, turquoise, green, yellow and gilt against a pale ground. Its form, with elongated spout and pronounced handle, reflects a type intended for the Indian market, adapting Chinese enamel technique to a vessel shape associated with pouring and ritual or domestic use. The main body is centred by large teardrop-shaped black-ground cartouches enclosing stylised floral motifs, surrounded by sprays of peony, lily and other flowering plants. The flowers are painted with fine linear detail and transparent washes, their stems and leaves spreading across the rounded body in a balanced, symmetrical arrangement. Gilt scrolling ornament frames the lower body and shoulder, while bands of pink, green and turquoise enamel articulate the neck, foot and handle. The neck is particularly elaborate, with a turquoise-ground collar of floral scrolls, a band of upright pink lappets and gilt arabesque panels below. The handle and spout are decorated with pale green crackled patterning and small red floral details, their curved profiles giving the vessel a graceful vertical rhythm. The foot is encircled by further ornamental bands, including pink scrollwork and a darker lower register with scrolling floral decoration, completing the object as a fully conceived enamelled form. Chinese enamel wares made for export to regional markets often combined Qing decorative technique with shapes and tastes specific to their intended destination. Here, the ewer’s Indian-market form is enriched with Chinese floral ornament, lappet borders, gilt scrolling and dense surface patterning, demonstrating the flexibility of Qianlong-period enamel production. The object belongs to a broader eighteenth-century culture of cross-regional luxury goods, in which function, form and decoration were adapted for cosmopolitan patrons. This ewer is a distinctive example of Qianlong painted enamel for the Indian market, uniting elegant vessel form, rich floral ornament and technically accomplished enamel decoration. Height: 30.5 cm

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