A GILT-DECORATED CORAL-GROUND FAMILLE-ROSE ‘DAJI’ ‘DOUBLE GOURD’ PLAQUE, QING DYNASTY,

拍品描述

A GILT-DECORATED CORAL-GROUND FAMILLE-ROSE ‘DAJI’ ‘DOUBLE GOURD’ PLAQUE, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD Height: 35 cm Brilliant in conception and meticulously realised, this porcelain plaque is moulded in the auspicious form of a flattened, beribboned double-gourd vase, its elegant silhouette rising in two swelling lobes above a short foot and set upon a simulated wood stand. The surface is richly enamelled in a luminous coral-red ground, its warmth heightened by intricate gilding that enlivens the entire composition. The restrained symmetry of the form—at once sculptural and emblematic—imbues the piece with both decorative presence and symbolic gravity. The coral ground is finely picked out in gilt with a tightly woven diaper pattern, creating a shimmering, textile-like field that catches the light with subtle brilliance. Each bulb is centred with a circular white medallion edged in gold, enclosing a single character: da (great) above and ji (happiness, auspiciousness) below, together forming the benediction Daji—“great happiness.” Around the lower medallion, five delicately rendered bats, outlined in underglaze blue and shaded in soft famille-rose enamels, hover in animated symmetry. Their outstretched wings and curling forms animate the surface, reinforcing the rebus of blessings, as the word for bat (fu) is homophonous with good fortune. A turquoise ribbon, moulded in high relief and enamelled in translucent tones, billows around the constricted waist, its flowing contours providing a cool chromatic counterpoint to the warmth of the coral ground. The reverse is left plain, revealing the pale biscuit body and emphasising the plaque’s intended frontal display. A rectangular aperture to the centre indicates its function as a suspended or mounted decorative element. The short foot rests upon an integral stand painted in imitation of carved wood, further embellished with scrolling borders and a key-fret band in gilt, grounding the composition visually and structurally. The plaque’s carefully modelled relief elements and crisply delineated enamels exemplify the technical refinement of the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen during the Qianlong reign. The double gourd (hulu) is among the most potent auspicious motifs in Qing decorative arts, symbolising fertility, abundance, and protection, while also associated with Daoist immortality. Combined with the blessing Daji and the five bats—emblems of the Five Blessings—this plaque articulates a layered visual programme of prosperity, longevity, and joy. Such imagery reflects the Qianlong emperor’s taste for richly symbolic ornament and technical virtuosity, uniting scholarly rebus with opulent surface decoration. At once a talisman of felicity and a triumph of enamelled porcelain, this plaque stands as a vivid expression of Qianlong-period imperial artistry and auspicious intent.

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