AN ENAMELED 'FINGER CITRON' BLUE GLASS WATER POT, PINGGUOZUN, QIANLONG China, with a four-character Qianlong mark painted in gold within a double square to the base and of the period, 1735-1796. The gold is faded, but the characters are still legible. Provenance: From an English private estate. Condition: In good condition. The enamels with some wear and tiny surface scratches, possibly with the colors overall minimally faded. The mark worn off almost entirely. Some open bubbles and other tiny manufacturing flaws. The foot rim with traces of use. Weight: 252 g Dimensions: Diameter 8.5 cm Overall, this water vessel is a good example of the enameled glass wares produced during the reign of the Qianlong emperor. It is quite heavy for its small size and of an intense deep-blue color, suffused all over with minuscule air bubbles. It has a recessed circular base and a broad foot rim, succinct towards the exterior, the lip is neatly slanted towards the interior, the inner neck is then cylindrically cut downwards, the inside well-polished, all exactly as expected from Imperial glass wares of the mid-18th century. The rigorously fine enameling, the crisp and astonishingly harmonious color pallet, the simplicity of form and design as well as the strict commitment to function all do also very clearly point towards an Imperial provenance. The enameling is in shallow but well-feelable relief. It depicts finger citrus and pomegranates on gnarly foliate branches, all springing from a single craggy rock, amid butterflies and purple day lilies. The artistic style of this decor and its very fine quality are unambiguously influenced by Yongzheng period wares, when traditional Chinese subject was favored above anything and designs resembled fine painting. Archival records of glass objects manufactured during the Qianlong period discuss the making of a stand for 'a water pot with painted enamel' dated to the 10th year of Qianlong's reign, equivalent to 1745 (Peter Lam, Elegance and Radiance, Hong Kong, 2000, pages 52-59). On page 55 of the same book, an 'alms bowl shaped water pot with painted enamel decoration' dated to the 11th year of Qianlong's reign, equivalent to 1746, is also listed. This record might refer to a piece such as the present lot, or possibly this very same water vessel. Also according to Peter Lam, glassware designs were often sketched by the Ruyiguan (Hall of Ruyi) or by the workshops in the Zaobanchu (Imperial Palace Workshops), and after the approval of the Emperor, the design would be sent to the glasshouse for production. The design of the finger citron, or Buddha's Hand, was highly favored by the Qianlong emperor, a devout Buddhist who is known to have commissioned the making of a large number of objects in the Palace Workshops decorated with Buddhist themes and designs. In China, the Buddha's hand fruit is a symbol of happiness, longevity and good fortune. It is also a traditional temple offering and a New Year's gift. Literature comparison: Compare with a water pot decorated in polychrome enamels on clear ground with flowering plants and the base inscribed with a similar reign mark within a square included in Elegance and Radiance, op. cit., p. 366, pl. 145, where it is noted that the seal mark conforms to the imperial format. Compare also a related enameled glass water pot from the Paul and Helen Bernat Collection which sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 15th November 1988, lot 76. 藍料琺琅彩佛手瓜蘋果尊，乾隆 中國，底部雙圈描金四字乾隆款，乾隆年代1735-1796。描金脫落，但仍可看清字跡 。 來源：英國私人遺產 品相：品相良好。 琺琅釉質有些磨損，表面刮痕很小，整體顏色幾乎沒有褪色；款幾乎完全消失；有些開放的氣泡，還有其他細微的製造缺陷；圈足有使用痕跡。 重量：252 克 尺寸：直徑8.5 厘米