QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

The Qianlong period is considered the pinnacle of the development of Chinese enameled porcelain. The richness of the glazes, the variety of types, and the superb techniques were unprecedented. Particularly noteworthy is Tang Ying, the director of the imperial kilns, who exhausted his efforts and integrated the great achievements of famous kilns throughout history, incorporating the finest domestic and foreign wares. With the skilled potters of the imperial kilns, he not only revered antiquity but also innovated, bringing technological breakthroughs and new artistic styles, leaving a significant mark on Chinese art history. As stated in Taoya by the Guangxu-period porcelain scholar Chen Liu, "by the Qianlong period, the decorations reached their peak, achieving a level of exquisite craftsmanship that seemed almost supernaturally ingenious."

The combination of famille rose decorated panels on a gilt-decorated blue ground such as the present vases must have presented great challenges during the production. The successful potting and fine decorations of the present pair are a testament to the superb techniques of the Jingdezhen potters, and it is extremely rare to find a pair of vases of this type. According to the Qing Palace Tribute Archive, on the 28th day of the 12th month in the 45th year of the Qianlong period (corresponding to 1780), the servant E’er Dengbu delivered a pair of gilt-decorated blue-ground yangcai circular vases decorated with four panels of fruits to Yangxindian (the Hall of Mental Cultivation). One such vase is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and illustrated by Feng Xianming and Geng Baochang in Selected Porcelain of the Flourishing Qing Dynasty at the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1994, p. 288, no. 20.