A pair of rare and large cloisonné enamel baluster vases

Qianlong seal marks, Qing Dynasty

Footnotes

清 銅胎掐絲琺瑯鴛鴦花石圖大瓶一對
「大清乾隆年製」篆書鑄款

Provenance: acquired prior to 29 November 1984 (date of Spink & Son Ltd., London valuation)
An English private collection, and thence by descent

來源： 購於1984年11月29日前（記錄於倫敦古董商Spink & Son Ltd.之估價文件）
英國私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今

Although there are considerable numbers of cloisonné enamel vessels with motifs of flowers and birds from the Qianlong period, very few of them are of the same impressive size. The present lot depicts floral designs of the four seasons against a wan-diaper background. Chrysanthemums, closely associated with the hermetic poet Tao Qian (365-427), represent autumn; peonies symbolise late spring and early summer; plum blossoms represent winter or early spring and symbolise strength and endurance. The lotus, extolled in a famous essay by Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073), represents summer and symbolises purity.

For a related cloisonné vase with double handles and floral designs of the four seasons on a wan-diaper ground, but of hexagonal form, dated to the mid Qing dynasty, see Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 3, Beijing, 2011, p.187, no.152.

Compare with a large cloisonné enamel 'birds and flowers' vase, with similar Qianlong cast six-character seal mark within double rectangles and of the period, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2221.