A rare famille rose five-piece garniture


YongzhengComprising two beaker vases and three baluster vases and covers, each of octagonal form, enamelled with shaped vignettes enclosing landscapes of pavilions and mountains, alternating with auspicious flowers and fruits, all beneath ornate floral bands, the lion-finial lids similarly decorated.The baluster vases and covers 63.5cm (25in) high. (8).
|清雍正 粉彩牡丹紋開光樓閣山水圖五供The present garniture is exceptional for the rather large size of the vessels and the especially vibrant and rich enamels decorating the wares. Magnificent garnitures such as the present example were made to decorate the interiors of elegant palaces and mansions from the late 17th century. The number of vessels in a garniture varied depending on the desired decorative effect. However, five-piece garnitures including three jars and two beaker vases appear to have been most popular and can be found in important royal collections. For examples of garnitures in museum collections see a famille-rose five piece garniture, 18th century, illustrated in M.A. Pinto de Matos, Chinese Porcelain in the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection, Lisbon, 2000, pl.56. Another garniture, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, from the bequest of Benjamin Altman, is illustrated by S.G.Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, pls.271-275.A related pair of famille rose octagonal vases, Yongzheng, similar to features in the present garniture, was sold at Sotheby's London, 5 November 2014, lot 315. A similar five-piece famille rose garniture, Yongzheng, was sold at Sotheby's London, 7 November 2007, lot 349.