A CLOISONNE ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE ARCHAISTIC 'TAOTIE' CENSER AND COVER


19th centuryThe body of gently tapered rectangular form, each side decorated with a taotie mask beneath a band of four kuifeng, divided at the center and edges with notched vertical flanges, the broad flat rim set with a pair of upright loop handles decorated with taotie masks above archaistic dragon scrolls, the dragon scroll design repeated on the underside surrounding a gilded cross bar and on the domed cover surrounding reticulated gilded panels of bats and clouds, surmounted by a seated lion finial, all supported on four dragon-fish form legs, decorated with incised scrolling lotus and T-scroll bands. 22 1/2in (57.2cm) high
|十九世紀 掐絲琺瑯饕餮紋方蓋鼎ProvenanceChen Ji Wenwanchu, 1942 (by repute)Acquired in France in the 1990s.Possessing articles relating to China's ancient history was one method that rulers of China used to claim legitimacy, and as Manchus, the Qing emperors were particularly aware of this. Not only did they collect ancient Chinese art, but they also commissioned new objects based on ancient designs.The present lot, whose form is based on an ancient bronze vessel called a fangding that was current during the late Shang dynasty, is one such example. The decoration on this lot is almost identical to one in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum, Enamels 3, Cloisonne in the Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl. 226.; and also to one dated Qianlong, sold at Christie's, Hong Kong, 1 June 2016, lot 3229. According to Ross Kerr in Beatrice Quette, ed., Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, New York, 2011, p.90, the form of cloisonné vessels especially those with imperial Qing provenance, followed the conventions established for archaistic bronzes, however, the artisans adapted the decorative motifs very freely, 'often rendering archaic designs in an abstract manner and incorporating non-archaic motifs on the same object'. This can be seen in the present lot where bats, clouds, lions and dragon-fish are combined with archaistic elements like taotie, kuifeng, leiwan and scrolling kuilong.Censers of this form were popular throughout the Qing period. A Kangxi period example is illustrated in Beatrice Quette, ed., op. cit., p. 92, fig. 5.21. and a number of examples dated to the Qianlong period have been sold at auction, for example Christie's, Hong Kong, 29 May 2013, lot 2058; 29 May 2013, lot 2058; June 2016, lot 3232, and as previously mentioned lot 3229. All these examples have the same general form, but slightly different surface decoration. The enamels on the present lot are finer with less pitting when compared to the Qianlong period examples and may have been made after the Qianlong period.