A CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL ‘DA JI’ WALL VASE, CHINA, 18th CENTURY
Of double gourd shape, the upper and lower bulbs centered by characters reading ‘da’ and ‘ji’ (‘great fortune’) respectively. Tied at the waist with a gilt-bronze flowing ribbon issuing loops and rolling ends along the sides. Finely decorated in bright enamels against a turquoise ground with colorful double-gourds borne on scrolling leafy vines, a bat diligently overlooking with its wings wrapped around the rim. The gilt-bronze back finely chased and incised with intertwining lotus scroll against a ring-punched ground with an aperture for mounting.


Provenance:
From the private collection of Sara Fredericks, probably acquired in New York during the 1960s, and thence by descent. The back with an old label, ‘40’, and inscribed with a collector’s number, ‘40’. Sara Fredericks (1903-1986) was a designer and retailer who specialized in women’s luxury fashion for more than 50 years. After her marriage to Frederick Cohen, who was in the shoe business, she began selling dresses out of her home to women who admired her clothes. ''She lived the life her customers lived,'' said Pauline Trigere, who was among the designers who considered Miss Fredericks a friend as well as a client. Others in that category were Geoffrey Beene, James Galanos, Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, Bob Mackie, and Hubert de Givenchy. ''She had impeccable taste,'' Miss Trigere said, “her customers trusted her.”

Condition:
Good condition with minor wear and manufacturing irregularities, including expected pitting. Minor flaking and small losses to enamels, tiny nicks here and there, two small dents with old fills.

Weight: 800 g
Dimensions: Height 23.5 cm


Wall vases
were particularly popular during the reign of Qianlong and are known to have adorned the walls of the Sanxitang (The Hall of Three Rarities), a tiny studio next to the Imperial bedchamber in the Yangxindian. They were produced in a variety of materials, including porcelain, cloisonné enamel and lacquer, and occasionally inscribed with poems by the Emperor himself, such as the present lot. Compare several porcelain wall vases in the collection of the Palace Museum Beijing, illustrated in The Life of Emperor Qianlong, The Macau Museum of Art, Macau, 2002, cat. nos. 63-2 to 63-9. The present wall vase displays the ornate aesthetic and technical mastery that characterizes cloisonné wares of the High Qing period. The double-gourd vase is particularly fine in the vibrant tones achieved in its enamel and the elegant execution of the linework of the cloisons.


Literature comparison:

Compare a Yangcai sgraffiato ‘bats and clouds’ double-gourd form wall vase, with a Qianlong gilt six-character mark in horizontal line and of the period, at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2018, lot 3036. Compare a pair of embellished gilt-repousse copper wall vases, dated to the Qianlong period, at Christie’s New York, 13-14 September 2012, lot 1299. Compare a pair of cinnabar lacquer ‘daji’ double-gourd wall appliqués, dated to the Qianlong period, at Sotheby’s London, 04 November 2009, lot 122.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s London, 12 November 2010, lot 1427
Price: GBP 30,000 or approx.
EUR 57,500
adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A cloisonne enamel double gourd wall vase, Qianlong period (1736-1795)
Expert remark: Compare the closely related technique, form, and ‘da ji’ characters. Note the smaller size (17.5 cm).




十八世紀掐絲琺瑯《大吉》葫蘆壁瓶

瓶身呈雙葫蘆狀，主體瓶身呈凸面平背的葫蘆形，胸腹之表分別“大”、“吉”楷書二字，綠松石綠地，精美的明亮琺瑯，綠葉藤蔓上掛著多色小葫蘆，葫蘆口鎏金倒蝙蝠。葫蘆瓶腰部鎏金束錦飛揚。葫蘆平背面以銅為材鏨富麗纏枝蓮紋，有一個安裝孔。造型雍容，加工工藝精製。


來源：
Sara Fredericks私人收藏，可能於上世紀六十年代購於紐約，保存至今。Sara Fredericks (1903-1986) 曾是一位設計師兼零售商，專注於女性奢華時裝已有五十多年的歷史。與從事鞋業生意的Frederick Cohen結婚後，她開始在家裡向欣賞她的衣服的女士出售衣服。“她過著顧客的生活，” Pauline Trigere說道，她是把 Fredericks 小姐視為朋友和客戶的設計師之一。此外還有Geoffrey Beene，James Galanos，Bill Blass，Oscar de la Renta，Bob Mackie與Hubert de Givenchy。“她的品味無可挑剔，” Trigere小姐說，“她的顧客信任她。”

品相：
狀況良好，有輕微磨損和製造缺陷，包括點蝕。 琺瑯有輕微剝落和小缺損，局部有小刻痕，小凹痕和相應的修補。

重量：800 克
尺寸：高 23.5 釐米


壁瓶
在乾隆年間尤為流行。眾所周知，三希堂內也有壁瓶。它們材質多樣，包括瓷、景泰藍和漆器，偶爾還會刻有禦詩，例如本拍品。比較北京故宮博物院收藏的幾件瓷壁瓶，插圖見《The Life of Emperor Qianlong》，澳門藝術博物館，澳門，2002年，編號 1，63-2 至 63-9。本壁瓶堪稱乾隆年間最稀有珍品。


文獻比較：

比較一件鎏金乾隆款蝙蝠與雲紋雙弧爐壁瓶，見香港佳士得，2018年5月30日，lot 3036。比較一對乾隆時期銅胎掐絲錘鍱葫蘆壁瓶，見紐約佳士得，2012年9月13-14日，lot 1299。比較一對乾隆剔紅大吉雙弧爐壁瓶，見倫敦蘇富比，2009年11月04日，lot 122。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：倫敦佳士得，2010年11月12日，lot 1427
價格：GBP 30,000（相當於今日
EUR 57,500
）
描述：乾隆銅胎掐絲琺瑯雙葫蘆壁瓶
專家評論：比較非常相近的技巧、外形和「大吉」款識。請注意尺寸較小(17.5 釐米)。