A LARGE CHINESE ENAMEL LIDDED BOX, QIANLONG (1736-1795)

拍品描述

A LARGE CHINESE ENAMEL LIDDED BOX, QIANLONG (1736-1795) The large lidded box is of compressed lobed form, worked in painted enamels with a deep cobalt-blue exterior and a pale turquoise interior. Its rounded, petal-like outline gives the object a soft sculptural profile, while the broad cover provides a wide pictorial field. The richly coloured surface combines floral ornament, auspicious emblems and landscape painting, the enamel palette extending across blue, green, pink, yellow, turquoise and gilt tones. The cover is centred by a large circular landscape scene, depicting pavilions, bridges, figures, trees and waterways within an idealised garden setting. The composition is painted in delicate washes, with blue rockwork, pale green banks and soft pink blossoms arranged around architectural elements and small figures. Around this central medallion, the lobed border is densely filled with flowering sprays and scrolling foliage on a deep blue ground, interspersed with auspicious motifs including the endless knot, fan, double-gourd and wheel-like emblem. The sides continue the same decorative programme, with repeated floral sprays and symbols arranged within the lobed contours of the form. A narrow band of yellow and turquoise scrollwork divides cover and base, while the foot is set on a dark blue register with pendant gilt ornament. The underside and interior are more restrained, enamelled in pale turquoise and white, creating a clear contrast between the lavishly decorated exterior and the quieter functional surfaces within. As a lidded box, the object would have served as a luxurious container, its scale and finish suggesting a role within an elite domestic or courtly setting. The landscape on the cover evokes the cultivated world of pavilions, gardens and scholarly leisure, while the surrounding flowers and auspicious emblems reinforce themes of refinement, abundance and good fortune. The combination of pictorial enamel painting with dense ornamental patterning is characteristic of Qianlong taste, in which technical virtuosity and decorative richness were closely aligned. This large lidded box is an accomplished example of Qianlong enamel work, distinguished by its unusual lobed form, expansive landscape panel and richly integrated programme of floral and auspicious decoration. Diameter: 38 cm

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