A pair of rare gilt-bronze and cloisonné enamel garlic-head vases

拍品描述

A pair of rare gilt-bronze and cloisonné enamel garlic-head vases, mark of Qianlong and of the period, (1736-1795), both shaped with rounded body, one attractively enamelled on each side with luxuriantly-petalled pink, yellow and purple peony flowers issuing from leafy branches, the other vase enamelled with auspicious birds perched on flowering wisteria and magnolia branches, all on a turquoise keyfret patterned ground, the body narrowing to a slender neck ringed by a gilt band and terminating in a bulbous mouth, the neck flanked by two ruyi-shaped handles, the gilded base cast with a six-character qianlong mark and of the period, 28cm high (2)Provenance:By repute formerly in the collection of former U.S. Congressman Perkins Bass (1912-2011) and by family descent and then to the current collector. Cloisonné enamel vases with such a bulbous lower body and garlic-head mouth are extremely rare. See, however, a related example, 18th century, but of ovoid form and enamelled with floral sprays, previously from the collection of Baroness Salomon de Rothschild and now in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, illustrated by B. Quette, Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, New York, 2011, p.164, fig.8.18. A related garlic-head vase, also enamelled with peony but slightly smaller (25cm high) was sold at Christie's Paris, 14 December 2011, lot 247. Compare also another example which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 11 September 2012, lot 344. This particular shape appears to be associated with the highest order of imperial works of art dating to the Qianlong reign, as would suggest a magnificent pair of famille rose vases of the same shape with exceptionally well-painted butterflies and flowers sold at Christie's London, 9 May 2017, lot 99. A few other examples of comparable Qianlong period cloisonné enamel double-gourd vases are known, such as a pair sold at Christie's London, 15 May 2018, lot 4. Also see a similar pair sold at Christie's Paris, 10 December 2025, Lot 82清乾隆 掐絲琺瑯牡丹紋如意耳蒜頭瓶一對「大清乾隆年制」款拍品來源：前美國聯邦眾議員珀金斯·巴斯（1912-2011）所藏；後經家族後人繼承，並由現藏家購得。 品相： the peony vase with one side of the body slightly dented and the dented area with loss of enamel, the other side with two areas on the peonies punched and restored, small areas of enamel losses on the handles and shoulder and the garlic mouththe other vase overall in very presentable condition with only very small chips to the enamel on the garlic mouth and bodyboth with general wear to the gilding and would benefit from proper cleaning

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