Published: Octave du Sartel, La Porcelaine de Chine, 1881, pl. XXXII, no. 157

Provenance and publication note: The early provenance of the present vase is of exceptional historical significance. It belonged to the celebrated collection of Octave du Sartel (1823–1894) and was already publicly exhibited with his collection at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1878, only eighteen years after the Anglo-French campaign in Beijing of 1860. Du Sartel subsequently published and illustrated the vase as no. 157, plate XXXII, in his seminal La Porcelaine de Chine, Paris, 1881, the first major French monograph devoted exclusively to Chinese porcelain. In his accompanying description, he already correctly recognized the vessel as an imitation of archaic bronze, specifically noting its relief decoration derived from ancient bronzes and its glaze reproducing the color and verdigris-like surface effects of aged bronze. The vase was therefore not merely owned by one of the pioneering European scholars of Chinese ceramics, but was studied, exhibited and published by him at the very beginning of the scholarly appreciation of Qing imperial porcelain in Europe.
The chronology of its arrival in France is particularly remarkable. The vase must have entered the Du Sartel collection between the dispersal of imperial objects from Beijing following the events of 1860 and its exhibition in Paris in 1878. This narrow window coincides precisely with the first major influx into France of works removed from the Yuanmingyuan, the imperial Old Summer Palace, which was captured and systematically looted by British and French forces in October 1860. A substantial body of these imperial objects was brought back to France, some passing into private collections and others entering the museum collection assembled for Empress Eugénie at Fontainebleau from 1861 onward.
Considering the extraordinary rarity, technical sophistication and unmistakably imperial character of this Qianlong faux-bronze vessel, together with its documented presence in Paris by 1881, an origin in the Qing imperial collections in Beijing, and most plausibly among the objects dispersed from the Yuanmingyuan in 1860, represents by far the most convincing historical explanation for its appearance in France at this exceptionally early date. Although the precise intermediary between Beijing and Du Sartel has not yet been identified, the chronological circumstances leave only a remarkably short and historically specific gap in an otherwise exceptionally well-documented provenance.
The subsequent history of the vase is secure. Following its publication by Du Sartel in 1881, it was offered in the celebrated sale of his collection at H?tel Drouot, Paris, 3–5 April 1882, lot 130, thereafter remaining in a French private collection and descending within the family until its reappearance at Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris, 26 May 2018, where it was acquired by Jules Speelman, from whose collection the present vase now comes.

The resulting provenance can therefore be reconstructed as follows:
- Qing imperial collection, Beijing, most plausibly Yuanmingyuan;
- Dispersed most likely following the events of 1860;
- Unknown ownership in France, 1860/61 to no longer as 1881;
- Collection Octave du Sartel, by at least 1881, but probably earlier than that, because Octave du Sartel started collecting decades before, he had already amassed a large collection by 1878;
- Exhibited Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1878 (most probably, because Octave du Sartel’s complete collection was exhibited, but no printed publication of the exhibition exists);
- Published by Octave du Sartel, La Porcelaine de Chine, 1881, no. 157, pl. XXXII;
- Published by H?tel Drouot, Paris, 3–5 April 1882, lot 130;
- A French private collection, and thence by descent, 1882-2018;
- Published by Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris, 26 May 2018;
- Collection of Jules Speelman, since 2018;

Expert’s note
The present vase is of exceptional rarity, and no closely comparable example appears to be recorded. It is further distinguished by the extraordinary quality of its gilt decoration and, above all, by the remarkable complexity of the glazes employed to transform porcelain into a convincing simulation of an ancient bronze vessel. The imitation of other materials represented one of the great technical and artistic challenges embraced by the imperial potters at Jingdezhen from the Yongzheng reign onward, demonstrating the almost limitless potential of the ceramic medium. Such trompe-l’?il effects evidently appealed particularly strongly to the Qianlong Emperor. Among the many simulations created by the imperial workshops during his reign, those imitating archaic bronzes occupy a particularly important position, reflecting Qianlong’s profound engagement with antiquity and his celebrated collection of ancient ritual bronzes. Vessels of the late Shang and Western Zhou periods provided models both for remarkably precise ceramic copies and for imaginative reinterpretations of archaic forms, of which the present moonflask is an outstanding example.
At first glance, one might be tempted to describe the surface of the present vase simply as a combination of tea-dust and robin’s-egg glazes. Such terminology, however, considerably understates the sophistication of what the Jingdezhen potters were attempting to achieve here. The glaze covering the principal surface is not merely conventional tea-dust. Rather, its mottled, mineral appearance represents a highly refined variation on the family of iron-rich glazes associated with tea-dust and so-called eel-skin effects, deliberately manipulated to evoke the dense, subtly metallic surface of an ancient bronze after centuries of oxidation and burial (fig. 1).
The ability of iron-rich Chinese glazes to produce brown, greenish, silvery and even metallic effects depends not simply upon the presence of iron, but upon its oxidation state, the formation and distribution of different iron-oxide crystalline phases, phase separation within the glaze, and exceptionally precise control of firing atmosphere and, critically, the cooling cycle. Modern analytical studies of historic Chinese iron-rich glazes have demonstrated just how dramatically relatively small changes in these variables can alter their final appearance.
The result on the present vase is therefore better understood not as a decorative glaze in the conventional sense, but as a ceramic reconstruction of the mineral surface of an excavated archaic bronze. Indeed, tea-dust-glazed Qing porcelain is itself recognized as having been employed specifically to evoke the patinated surfaces of ancient bronze vessels.
Even this, however, was evidently insufficient for the imperial craftsmen responsible for the present vase. Over the dark, subtly metallic ground they created areas of brilliant turquoise, blue and green mottling which at first sight recall the celebrated robin’s-egg palette. Yet here again the effect is more complex and more purposeful than an ordinary robin’s-egg glaze. The mottling has been orchestrated to reproduce the heterogeneous mineral accretions characteristic of excavated archaic bronzes: the intense blueish greens evoke azurite and related copper-corrosion products (fig. 2), while some passages deliberately simulate deeper corrosion using intentional pitting (fig. 3). These colors appear against a darker, locally almost silvery metallic ground, creating the visual impression of copper corrosion developing over an ancient high-tin bronze surface.
This distinction is important. The potters were not simply combining fashionable eighteenth-century glaze types; they were employing and modifying the ceramic technologies behind them in order to reproduce different stages and products of bronze corrosion within a single coherent surface. The dark brown and metallic passages suggest the underlying aged bronze; the green areas evoke verdigris and malachite accretions; and the brilliant blue passages imitate the azurite-like mineral deposits encountered on excavated bronzes. The object consequently operates simultaneously on several levels of illusion: porcelain imitates metal, glaze imitates mineral corrosion, gilding imitates surviving ancient gold decoration, pitting simulates deeper corrosion, and an eighteenth-century vessel recreates the visual vocabulary of an antiquity more than two millennia old.
Remarkably, precisely this intention was already recognized by Octave du Sartel in 1881, when he published and illustrated the present vase in La Porcelaine de Chine. He described its decoration as being in relief and “imité des bronzes anciens” and specifically observed that its surface was intended to reproduce both the coloration and the “taches vert-de-grisées” of ancient bronzes. Du Sartel thus identified the essential trompe-l’?il character of the vessel exactly 145 years ago.
Producing such a surface was technically extraordinarily demanding. Scientific examination of historical iron-rich Chinese glazes has shown that their final coloration and metallic effects can depend upon microscopic crystalline structures formed during firing and cooling; even comparatively small variations in composition, temperature, atmosphere or cooling rate can fundamentally change the result. Experimental studies have likewise demonstrated that some iron-oxide crystalline phases develop specifically during carefully controlled cooling stages. The successful execution of a large and complex vessel such as the present moonflask, combining several radically different surface effects while retaining their intended visual relationship, therefore demanded exceptional control over materials and firing.
The extraordinary technical risk inherent in such production also helps to explain why surviving Qianlong trompe-l’?il porcelains of this complexity are so exceptionally rare. They were experimental virtuoso works made at the very summit of imperial ceramic manufacture. Each successful example should consequently be regarded almost as an individual technical achievement rather than merely as one member of a standardized series. The present vase epitomizes this extraordinary ambition.

China, 1736-1795. Expertly modeled of compressed globular form supported on a spreading foot and surmounted by a cylindrical neck with a galleried rim, the shoulders applied with a pair of lion-head handles issuing rings from their jaws, either side of the vase with a large medallion molded in low-relief with two confronting chilong flanking a central stylized shou roundel, all against a dense leiwen ground, the foot and neck with a band of leaves, covered overall in manifold lustrous glazes (see expert’s note for more details on that), with some areas picked out in gilt.

The recessed base with a six-character da Qing Qianlong nianzhi mark and of the period.

Condition: Superb condition with only minor wear and minimal firing irregularities.

Provenance:
- Collection of Octave du Sartel, acquired prior to 1881.
- H?tel Drouot, Paris, 3 April 1882, lot 130.
- An old French private collection, acquired from the above and thence by descent.
- Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris, 11 June 2018, lot 35, sold for EUR 629,000 or approx. EUR 751,000 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing)
- The private collection of Jules Speelman, London, acquired from the above.
- Christie’s London, 5 November 2019, lot 154, mid-estimate GBP 700,000 or approx. EUR 1,082,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).

The base with a label from the Octave du Sartel collection, with the number ‘130’, an old inventory number ‘59’, and a third label, inscribed in French ‘120-Grande gour[…] bronze par le to[…] imitant l’oxyde de […] chaque face d’un m[…] décoratifs entourant […] Haut., 45 cent.’

Octave du Sartel (1823-1894) was a pioneering scholar and collector of Chinese porcelain, best known for publishing the first French-language monograph devoted to the subject in 1881. He assembled a substantial collection of works of art, which was dispersed through two important sales during the late 19th century. His collection attracted considerable attention when exhibited at the Paris World’s Fair of 1878, contributing to the growing European appreciation of Chinese porcelain. In addition to his scholarly and collecting activities, du Sartel served on the Improvement Committee of the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, where he actively supported the advancement of French porcelain production and craftsmanship.

Jules Speelman is a world-leading dealer and collector of East Asian art with 60 years of experience. In 1964 he joined his late father, Alfred, in the family business which already stretched back three generations to 19th century Holland and expanded into England around the turn of the century. Originally, A & J Speelman dealt with antiques, from European ceramics, silver, tapestries, and furniture to Chinese porcelain, and works of art. With his father, Jules gradually shifted the focus towards Asia and under Jules Speelman's skilled direction, A & J Speelman is now considered amongst the foremost dealers in Asian antiques, with a particular emphasis on figurative sculpture and works of art from the past 2000 years.

Weight: 5.9 kg
Dimensions: Height 43.8 cm (excl. stand)

With the original and fitted openwork hardwood stand dating from the same period. Remarkably, the stand is already documented together with the vase in Octave du Sartel’s 1881 publication, confirming that the two have remained together for at least 145 years. The survival of an original fitted stand together with its associated vessel over such an exceptionally long period is exceedingly rare and further underscores the remarkable history and preservation of the present vase.(2)

This magnificent large vase embodies the spirit of the Qianlong era when archaic bronze vessels were collected by many people who could afford them and their shapes and designs were copied and adapted in a variety of materials including porcelain. Much like his predecessors, the Qianlong Emperor held a profound appreciation for antiquities, surpassing them by personally adding to the Imperial collections an unprecedented number of artefacts. Emulating the legacy of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song dynasty, Qianlong commissioned illustrated catalogues listing, reproducing and describing various segments of his vast collection. Yet, his interest in antiquities transcended mere acquisitions. He actively encouraged and commissioned contemporary artworks made in the style of ancient masterpieces. In the instance of this particular vase, the emperor's antiquarian pursuits intersect with a prevalent fascination of the time: the emulation of one material through another in trompe l'oeil ('trick of the eye'). Porcelain became a canvas for replicating the allure of lacquer, stone, wood, and bronze, seamlessly blending antiquarian interest with the artistic freedom.

The Qianlong Emperor's fascination for works in the trompe l'oeil technique has been argued to reflect the Manchu Court's own numerous personas when ruling its multi-ethnic Qing empire, see John Hay, Sensuous Surfaces: The Decorative Object in Early Modern China, London, 2010, p. 232-235. The Qing emperors were Manchus from the North-east of present day China, however they presented themselves as universal rulers capable of being legitimate guardians of Han Chinese culture, Mongolian culture and Tibetan culture, cloaking themselves in various garbs to suit their political goals. This can be most clearly seen in a painted album of the Yongzheng Emperor dressed in various roles, including a European, a Tibetan lama, a Mongolian archer, a Daoist priest, and others; see Jessica Rawson et al, China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795, London, 2006, no.167.

The trompe l'oeil effect of simulating archaic bronze vessels moreover reflects the Qing Court's fascination with ancient China's history and the resulting trend of archaism. The Qianlong Emperor was keen to establish himself as an antiquarian to legitimize his role not only as the ruler of China, but as the chief examiner of the Imperial civil service examination system which recruited thousands of literati scholars, well versed in the Confucian classics and history. The moonflask shape originates from flasks carried by traders and herdsmen from Central Asia and the middle east. Flattened bronze vases, bianhu, appeared as early as the Warring States period (475-221 BC); see for example, a bronze bianhu in the Musée Cernuschi, accession number M.C. 9778, illustrated by Marie-Thérèse Bobot, Chine connue et inconnue: Dix Années d'Acquisition au Musée Cernuschi, 1982-1992, Paris, 1992, p. 56-57, no. 25. Such archaic bronzes were collected by the Song emperor Huizong and are recorded in the Xuanhe bogu tu and reproduced in the Qianlong era, for a line drawing of a bronze bianhu vessel, see Chongxiu Xuanhe bogu tu, juan 13, no.12. The current moon flask thus mirrors the Qianlong Emperor's artistic tastes, blending China's past, Western trompe l'oeil techniques, and innovation into its design, reflecting the artistic landscape of its time.

Literature comparison:
Compare two related smaller gu-form vases with similar imitation-bronze glazes, Qianlong mark and period, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, reference numbers 故00154498 and 故00154619. Compare a related square hu-form jar with similar imitation-bronze glaze and shou characters, dated Qianlong period, 36.7 cm high, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, reference number 故瓷008457N000000000. Further examples of Qianlong period porcelains decorated in imitation of archaic bronzes from the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, are illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 411-415.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 7 October 2010, lot 2128
Price: HKD 45,460,000 or approx. EUR 7,070,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine and rare robin's egg-ground gilt-decorated archaistic vase, seal mark and period of Qianlong
Expert remark: Compare the closely related glaze, gilt decoration, archaistic design, and reign mark. Note the size (38.1 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5 April 2017, lot 3604
Price: HKD 19,300,000 or approx. EUR 2,514,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare and important pair of large bronze-imitation vases, seal marks and period of Qianlong
Expert remark: Compare the closely related glaze, archaistic design, and reign mark.