A PAIR OF CLOISONNE ENAMEL FIGURES OF QILIN, QING DYNASTY China, 18th-19th century. Each standing foursquare on stout legs with gilt hooves and raised head, jaws open revealing gilt tongue and rows of teeth flanked by sharp fangs. Further decorated with long gilt whiskers swept back under the gilt horns, the furry eyebrows raised above the eyes and the beard and bushy tail massively gilt as well. (2) Provenance: From a New York private collection. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear to gilt and enamels, small nicks and dents, malachite encrustations here and there, some pitting and other firing irregularities. The metal with microscopic structural fissures, as typical with mid-Qing cloisonne figural wares. Weight: 1,342 g and 1,362 g Dimensions: Length 29.5 cm each The gilt and incised manes at the back of the head above the spiky spine are detachable. The heads are decorated with green squares on a red ground, while the body is covered almost entirely with red and grayish-white scales. The qilin, which resembles a stag, is an auspicious symbol of longevity, fertility and wise administration as it only appears during the reign of a benevolent ruler. It is also associated with the Confucian virtue of ren, as it is benevolent to all living creatures. Literature comparison: Compare with a single cloisonne figure of a standing qilin from the Qing Court Collection illustrated in Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2002, page 168, number 160. Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related pair of cloisonne qilin, also dated to the 18th-19th century, but with a blue ground, at Christie's Hong Kong, in Masterpieces of the Enameller's Art from the Mandel Collection on 30 May 2012, lot 3918, sold for HKD 620,000. 清代一對景泰藍麒麟 中國，十八至十九世紀。麒麟四足站立，角、四蹄和濃密的尾巴鍍金，毛茸茸的眉毛在眼睛上方隆起，抬頭張口作嘶吼狀，露出鋒利的尖牙，眉毛鬍鬚皆外展鎏金。 來源：紐約私人收藏。 品相：品相極好，鍍金和琺瑯輕微磨損，小刻痕和凹痕，銅綠結殼處處可見，一些凹坑和其他燒製不規則。 銅胎有微觀結構裂縫，是清代中期景泰藍製品的典型特徵。 重量：分別爲1,342 克和1,362克 尺寸：分別長29.5 厘米 文獻比較：一隻清宮收藏中的景泰藍麒麟見Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2002年, 第168頁, 編號160。 拍賣結果比較：一對同樣是十八至十九世紀的景泰藍麒麟，藍色琺琅地，見香港佳士得 Masterpieces of the Enameller's Art from the Mandel Collection 2012年5月30日 lot 3918, 售價HKD 620,000。