AN IMPERIAL PAIR OF QUADRILOBED CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL ‘LOTUS’ VASES, QIANLONG FIVE-CHARACTER MARK AND OF THE PERIOD
China, 1736-1795. Each baluster body is distinctively four-lobed and rises from a splayed foot to a waisted neck surmounted by a trumpet mouth with an everted lip in gilt-copper. Decorated around the exterior with bands of lotus blooms borne on meandering leafy scrolls between bats, ruyi and stylized lappet bands, all reserved on a deep turquoise ground. The recessed gilt copper base neatly incised with a five-character mark Qianlong nianzhi ze and of the period. (2)


Provenance:
From the collection of J. J. Lally, New York, USA. To each box, a collector’s label, ‘Lally & Co. New York’ with handwritten inventory number ‘4289.’ James J. Lally was a renowned antique dealer and connoisseur, recognized as one of the greatest scholar-dealers of Chinese art, who has been a leader in the field for more than 40 years. After graduating from Harvard College and Columbia University, Lally joined Sotheby’s where he held many positions within the Chinese art department. In 1970 he served as the director of Chinese works of art at Sotheby’s in New York and Hong Kong, and by 1983 was named president of Sotheby’s in North America. In 1986, he founded his namesake gallery, J. J. Lally & Co., at 41 East 57th Street in New York - just a few blocks away from the MoMA, to provide advisory services for keen collectors. Lally fondly recalls the moment, not long after he opened his gallery, when a young man walked through the door with a Shang Dynasty gong-a bronze vessel shaped like a gravy boat-decorated with a dragon and tiger and in beautiful condition. It was, Lally described, “one of the most important objects I ever had in my hands.” The young man said he had inherited it from his father and was not really interested in Chinese art himself. He wanted to buy a sailboat and wondered if the gong was valuable enough to pay for that. “I was very happy to tell him that it was valuable enough to buy two sailboats,” Lally noted. The gallery helped to establish New York as a major center of commerce for Chinese art and allowed Lally to concentrate on his own specific interests, particularly early ceramics, ritual bronze vessels, archaic jade carvings and sculpture. Lally brought a learned approach to his work, publishing detailed, scholarly catalog that have remained important reference guides within the field. This meticulous approach continued when he produced his own exhibitions and catalog. Giuseppe Eskenazi, dubbed the “Godfather of Chinese Antiques,” and one of the world’s most esteemed Chinese art dealers, also spoke highly of Lally for his achievements in the industry, alongside William Chak from Hong Kong, and the Marchant family from London. In the spring of 2023, Christie’s and Bonhams conducted single owner sales of Lally’s collection which broke several auction records.

Condition:
Excellent condition with expected manufacturing irregularities and wear to gilt, minute hairlines, dents and nicks to enamels. Minor losses to enamels with associated old fills. Overall displaying exceptionally well.

Weight: 1494.1 g and 1499.2 g
Dimensions: Height 36.3 cm (each)

Each with a padded silk box and cover. (4)


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related pair of cloisonné enamel vases, 34 cm high, with the same five-character Qianlong marks as the present lot, at Dorotheum, Vienna, 27 September 1994, lot 1041. Compare a closely related pair of cloisonné enamel ‘lotus’ vases, 36 cm high, also with five-character Qianlong marks, the fifth character being ‘ze’, illustrated by Brinker and Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, Asia Society, New York, 1989, no. 282, p. 74, where the authors note: “During the Qianlong period (1736-1795) an additional character, the significance of which is obscure, is occasionally found below the usual mark.” The authors go on to suggest the 'ze' character may be an indication of the use or category of the object on which it is inscribed.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s London, 11 May 2010, lot 110
Price: GBP 37,250 or approx.
EUR 73,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large and rare cloisonné enamel vase, gu, Qianlong incised four-character mark within a double square and of the period
Expert remark: Compare the related cloisonné decoration, lotus motif, and incised reign mark. Note the size (57 cm), different form, absence of an additional character to the reign mark, and that the lot comprises only a single vase.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3005
Price: HKD 400,000 or approx.
EUR 56,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine Imperial small cloisonné enamel ‘lotus’ dish, Qianlong incised six-character mark within double rectangles and of the period
Expert remark: Compare the related cloisonné decoration, lotus motif, and incised reign mark (albeit six characters). Note the size 13 cm), different form, absence of an additional character to the reign mark, and that the lot comprises a single bowl.




乾隆五字款及年代一對銅胎掐絲琺瑯海棠式瓶

中國, 1736-1795年。銅胎，長頸，撇口，圈足外撇。全器作海棠四瓣花形。全器滿飾纏枝蓮紋，瓶口飾如意，頸部可見蝙蝠，足部可見芭蕉葉紋。底足內鎏金並刻有“乾隆年製 則”。 (2)


來源：
紐約 J. J. Lally私人收藏，每個盒子上都有一個藏家標籤，寫著 ‘4289’。James J. Lally是一位著名的古董商和專家，被公認為中國藝術最偉大的儒商之一。四十多年來，他一直是該領域的領導者。從哈佛大學和哥倫比亞大學畢業後，Lally加入蘇富比中國藝術部門並擔任多個職位。1970年，他擔任紐約和香港蘇富比中國藝術品總監，並於1983年被任命為蘇富比北美區總裁。1986 年，他在紐約東 57 街 41 號（距現代藝術博物館僅幾個街區）創立了同名畫廊 J. J. Lally & Co.，為收藏家提供諮詢服務。Lally深情地回憶起藝廊開張不久，一位年輕人拿著商代銅器（刻有龍虎圖案的青銅器皿，狀態良好）走進門的那一刻。“這是我手中最重要的物品之一。” 這位年輕人說，他是從父親那裡繼承的，他自己對中國藝術並不真正感興趣。 他想買一艘帆船，不知道這銅器是否值錢。”我很高興告訴他，它的價值足以購買兩艘帆船，” Lally告訴他。該藝廊幫助紐約成為中國藝術的主要商業中心，並使Lally能夠專注於自己的興趣，特別是早期陶瓷、青銅禮器、古代玉雕和造像。Lally為出版了詳細的學術目錄，這些目錄至今仍然是該領域的重要參考，他被譽為“中國古董教父”。全球最受尊敬的中國藝術品經銷商之一的Giuseppe Eskenazi 與香港的 William Chak 和倫敦的 Marchant 家族一樣，也高度評價了 Lally的成就。 2023年春季，佳士得和邦瀚斯對拉利的藏品進行了拍賣，打破了多項拍賣記錄。

品相：
狀況極佳，製造不規則性和鍍金磨損、微小的冲線、琺瑯上有凹痕和刻痕。只有非常小的缺損，和相應的舊修補。

重量：分別為1494.1 克與 1499.2克
尺寸：各高 36.3 厘米

蓋盒内襯絲緞。 (4)


文獻比較：


比較一對非常相近的五字乾隆款銅胎掐絲琺瑯瓶，高34 釐米，見Dorotheum，維也納，1994年9月27日，lot 1041。比較一對非常相近的五字乾隆款銅胎掐絲琺瑯蓮紋瓶，高36 釐米，見Brinker and Lutz，《Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection，Asia Society》，紐約，1989年，編號282，頁74，並備註：「在乾隆時期（1736-1795），偶爾會在通常的標記下面發現一個附加的字符，其含義是模糊的。」作者接著提出，“則”字可能表明了其所刻物體的用途或類別。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦佳士得，2010年5月11日，lot 110
價格：GBP 37,250（相當於今日
EUR 73,500
）
描述：乾隆雙圈四字款及年代銅胎掐絲琺瑯觚
專家評論：比較相近的銅胎掐絲琺瑯、蓮紋，以及年代款。請注意尺寸 (57 釐米)、不同外形，但年代款僅有四字。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2014年5月28日，lot 3005
價格：HKD 400,000（相當於今日
EUR 56,500
）
描述：清乾隆掐絲琺瑯西番蓮紋小盤雙長方框六字楷書刻款
專家評論：比較相近的銅胎掐絲琺瑯、蓮紋，以及年代款。請注意尺寸(13 釐米)，不同的外形，但年代款僅有六字，沒有額外款識。