A monumental gilt-bronze and cloisonné enamel ‘lotus’ vase, yenyen, Qing dynasty, 18th century | 清十八世紀 掐絲琺瑯纏枝番蓮紋鳳尾尊

Cloisonné vases of this type were produced throughout the late Ming and Qing dynasties. Although deriving from earlier prototypes, the present example can be dated to the later part of the 18^th century when vases of this type became larger in size, their form also evolving progressively featuring a more elongated neck and wider bulbous shoulder. They became particularly popular during the 19^th century to furnish grand interiors when the fashion for the East developed in Europe. Compare an earlier Kangxi period (1662-1722) example with a broader neck and more restrained shoulders preserved in the Musee Guimet Paris, illustrated In Beatrice Quette, ed. Cloisonné, Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, New York, 2011, fig. 3.28., from the Charles Rochard collection. Another dated from the early Qing dynasty is in the collection of Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, ibid, cat. no. 70.

Compare also a vase sold at Christie’s London, 12^th November 2010, lot 1145, and another, sold in our New York rooms, 22^nd March 2023, lot 669.