A LARGE YELLOW GROUND CHINESE ENAMEL COPPER VASE, QIANLONG (1736-1795)

拍品描述

A LARGE YELLOW GROUND CHINESE ENAMEL COPPER VASE, QIANLONG (1736-1795) The vase is of imposing baluster form, worked in painted enamels on copper, with a broad swelling body, high shoulder, waisted neck and widely flared trumpet mouth. Its yellow ground provides a rich field for dense floral scrollwork, shaped cartouches and pictorial landscape panels, the surface organised with the clarity and opulence associated with Qianlong-period enamel production. The scale is substantial, giving the vessel a strong architectural presence as well as considerable decorative impact. The main body is centred by large shaped panels enclosing landscape scenes with pavilions, pine trees, rocks, clouds and turbulent water. These reserves are painted with a lighter, more pictorial touch, contrasting with the surrounding yellow ground, where scrolling flowers and foliage fill the surface in a continuous ornamental rhythm. Bands of lappets, key-fret and stylised floral motifs articulate the shoulder, neck, foot and flared mouth, creating a carefully structured sequence of registers from base to rim. The neck is particularly elaborate, with a broad red-ground geometric band between raised collars, green lappets below the mouth and smaller cartouches containing floral and landscape motifs. The foot is decorated with animals, waves, rocks and cloud scrolls on a pale ground, while the underside is left comparatively plain within a dark metal footrim. This contrast between the densely enamelled exterior and the more restrained base is typical of large decorative enamel vessels conceived primarily for display. The vase belongs to a group of ambitious eighteenth-century Chinese enamel wares in which copper forms were transformed through brilliant colour, precise line and intricate surface pattern. Its combination of landscape painting and auspicious ornamental vocabulary reflects Qing court taste, where imagery of mountains, pavilions, clouds and flowering scrolls evoked longevity, prosperity, cultivated retreat and imperial refinement. The yellow ground further heightens the object’s visual authority and ceremonial character. This large vase is a commanding example of Qianlong enamel work, distinguished by its scale, richly organised decoration and confident integration of landscape imagery with elaborate floral ornament. Height: 62 cm

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