17th Century Cloisonne Enamel Yenyen Vase with Phoenix Handles

A large cloisonne enamel yenyen vase, late Ming/early Qing…
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A large cloisonne enamel yenyen vase, late Ming/early Qing Dynasty, 17th century the sides decorated with scrolling stems of lotus blooms, interrupted around the shoulders with a ruyi -shaped collar of different flowers including lotus, peony, chrysanthemum and magnolia, and extending over the trumpet shaped neck and interior of the wide flared mouth, the base of the neck with a frieze of florettes above a gilt band of archaistic dragons and a border of radiating petals, the shoulders applied with three gilt bronze phoenix suspending loose rings, and the neck flanked by a pair of large dragon-form handles, the splayed base encircled with pendent lappets, the circular bronze stand supported on three winged bixie, each crouched with head raised biting the rim, the underside with a six-character Jingtai mark in a rectangle encircled with two dragons pursuing a flaming pearl, 70 cm high. Provenance, Private Collection, Scotland, acquired in Beijing in the late 19th century, Private Collection, Sydney, by descent from the above, In 1925 the vase was shown to Mr R.L. Hobson at the British Museum in London. He wrote a note advising that the mark on the vase was 'that of the Ching T'ai period (1450-56)'. This note accompanies the vase., Show Catalogue Notes, Catalogue Notes, A smaller vase of similar type but with gilt flanges is illustrated by Claudia Brown in Chinese Cloisonne: The Clague Collection, Phoenix Art Museum, 1980, pp. 64-65, pl. 24, and another similar is illustrated by H. Brinker and A. Lutz, Chinese Cloisonne: The Pierre Uldry Collection, The Asia Society Galleries, New York, 1989, no. 179. Compare with a vase without a stand and with different applied decoration, from the David B. Peck III collection, sold Christie's New York, Rivers of Color: Cloisonne Enamels from Private American Collections, 18 September 2014, lot 603

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  • Qing Dynasty - The Qing Dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912. It was established by the Manchu people, who originated from the northeastern region of China. The Qing Dynasty was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China.
  • Ming Dynasty - The Ming Dynasty was a ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644. It succeeded the Yuan Dynasty and preceded the Qing Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty was established by Zhu Yuanzhang, a former Buddhist monk who became a rebel leader and eventually overthrew the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty, China experienced a period of relative stability and prosperity. The government was centralized and bureaucratic, with the emperor at the top of the hierarchy. The Ming Dynasty is known for its cultural achievements, including the development of porcelain, the invention of movable type printing, and the construction of the Great Wall of China.

  • Frieze - An architectural term denoting the flat, shaped or convex horizontal surface of furniture, between the architrave and the cornice, usually found on a cabinet or bookcase, or on desks and tables where it may include drawers, the area between the top and the legs. In ceramics, the term refers to the banding, of usually a repeating pattern, on the rims of plates and vases.
  • Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.

    The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.

    It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.

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